iDon't Deserve This
by person226
Summary: Freddie asks Sam out. She agrees. Sam talks to her mother which leads to the beginning of Sam's doubts. On the night of their date, something terrible happens. Can they get through what happened and the life-changing aftermath?
1. A Mother's Wisdom

Title: iDon't Deserve This

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own any shows on TV, iCarly included.

A/N: I've done several fics, but this is actually my first story for iCarly. I think the show is really cool and (my opinion of course) cool enough to write a fic about. So here's the story! Read, review, but more importantly enjoy! Oh and any kind of advice would be great, but just be nice about it, nothing rude, please!

* * *

A Mother's Wisdom

"And we're clear." Freddie said as he walked to his cart with all his computer equipment and turned off the camera signal. He set down the camera and began checking comments and how many viewers there were.

"I think that was our best show yet!" Carly said happily.

"It could've been better if Fredweird didn't keep moving the camera so much." Sam grumbled as she pulled a fat cake out of her backpack.

Freddie kept his eyes on the computer. "I had to keep moving the camera because you kept putting your face in it."

"Sam, you were putting your face in front of the lens a lot." Carly added her input.

Sam gave Carly a look that said 'Who pulled your string?' She ignored the comment though. "All right, Freddork. I forgive you. But it's only going to be this one time."

Freddie laughed. "Whatever you say Princess Puckett."

"I'm going to get some punch. Who wants some?" Carly asked.

Sam and Freddie both raised their hands and Carly went downstairs to fill the order. Sam went to one of beanbags and pulled out her phone while Freddie stayed by the computer cart.

"So…Sam…what are you up to?" Freddie asked as he put his hands into his pockets and slowly sauntered up to her.

Sam looked up at him. "I'm fixing to land on Jupiter. What does it look like I'm doing?" She replied sarcastically.

Freddie smiled and plopped down next to her. "Right, stupid question."

"As always."

"Any plans for tomorrow?"

"What's tomorrow?"

"Friday."

"Right…well I was thinking about going to the Chili Bowl, but I don't have any money so I was probably going to come over to Carly's and steal some of her food, maybe even break into your place and raid your fridge."

Freddie raised an eyebrow at Sam's schedule for tomorrow. "Do you think you could squeeze something else in there?"

"Like what?" Sam put her phone down and looked at Freddie with a new interest.

Freddie took a deep breath. It seemed easier when Sam was looking at her phone instead of at him. So much for the easy route. "For a date with me to the Chili Bowl." he made sure it didn't end like a question.

Sam did the last thing Freddie expected. She laughed. He would've expected her hitting him, calling him a name, maybe even throwing sausage at him, but laughing? "You, Fredward Benson, want to take _me_, Sam, out on a date?"

"Is it that unbelievable?"

"It's just…you're Freddie! The guy that's supposed to be pining over Carly! Oh wait…I get it. You want to go out on a date because you want Carly to get jealous."

Freddie frowned. "Is that really what you think?"

"Oh come on, Freddie! Please don't try and convince me that you're madly in love with me because I know that you're not." Sam said as she rolled her eyes.

"And how do you know how I feel?"

"Because, you're Freddie Benson. Most obvious guy on the planet."

Freddie had enough of Sam's disagreeing and stood up to tower over her. "Sam, why can't you just agree to go on the date? I don't want to make Carly jealous, I don't even have feelings for her! I'm not in love with her! I want to date you because I think I might have some kind of feelings for you! But I don't know what these feelings are and I'm trying to sort them out, but you apparently don't want to help me sort them out by going on this date with me! Please Sam! Just go on the date with me!"

Sam stood up, slightly on tip toe to match his height. "One, you do _not_ tower over me like that. You are not some dominating male that can do whatever he wants. Two, I'll go out with you to the Chili Bowl, but you are going to pay for _everything_, got it?"

Freddie stared at her, blinked, then continued staring.

"Hello? Earth to Freddie?" Sam called out as she waved her hand in front of his face.

Freddie snapped out of whatever daze he went into and smiled. "You'll really go out with me?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders and looked down, hiding the apparent smile on her face. "Yeah. I'll be here at Carly's. Pick me up at eight." she lightly punched his shoulder. "Later Benson!" she called out as she walked out of the studio, walking past Carly who was bringing in the drinks.

"Where did Sam go, why did she go, and why did she have a goofy smile on her face?" Carly asked. She set the drinks down and looked closely at Freddie.

Freddie was staring at the door Sam had just walked out of. _I can't believe it. I have a date with Sam._

Carly raised an eyebrow. Now Freddie had a goofy smile. "Ookay...why do you have a goofy smile on your face?"

* * *

Sam closed the front door once she was inside of the house. She bit the bottom of her lip and smiled. A date with Freddie. It had been something she wanted for a while already, but Freddie was supposedly in love with Carly. Now, he says he isn't.

"Sam, that you?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'm back from Carly's." Sam went in the kitchen where she saw her mother packing some food into a small ice chest. Next to the ice chest, was a small suitcase. "Are you planning to go somewhere with that food?"

"Yeah. I'm visiting Canada with my new boyfriend, Richie."

Sam never remembered meeting Richie. She actually thought her mom was dating Davis. "How long?"

"I don't know. Richie's talkin' about being up there for a month. I say three weeks." her mother looked up at Sam and noticed a small smile. "What's that smile for? I just told you I'm leavin' for three weeks. I'd expect you be mad or something like that."

Sam wiped the smile off her face. She didn't really want to tell her mom about Freddie. At least not yet.

"Wait, is this about that Benson kid, again? What'd he do this time? Tell you your hair's pretty?"

Sam scowled. "No, he asked me out on a date to the Chili Bowl." Sam stated.

"Aw, Sam. I knew this would happen. Come here, let me tell you somethin'."

They both sat down at the table in the kitchen. "I want you to look at me while I'm tellin' you this kid. Freddie does _not_ love you. He may think he does, but that's only because he subconsciously wants to make Carly jealous."

"Mom, you don't even know Freddie. The only time you met him was when he came by that one time, but you were in your room, throwing all of your ex-boyfriend's stuff out the window. You almost hit him with a suitcase!"

She smiled. "I do love throwin' stuff outta window. But back to the subject. The reason I'm tellin' you this is because even if he really is over Carly he's still settlin' for you. He's settlin' for second best."

Sam refused to show emotion. "What do you mean?"

"Are you kiddin'? Freddie's a nice kid from what you always say. You, Sam, are bad for him. All Puckett women are bad for guys like him. So just back away and let him find someone like Carly."

Sam said nothing. How could her own mother be telling her this.

"Oh don't get mad. You know it's the truth. I just helped point it out to you sooner rather than later."

Someone started honking their horn outside.

"Oh! That's Richie." she got up and gave Sam a kiss on the top of her head. "Bye honey. He's way too good for you, so just let him go." she went back into the kitchen, grabbed the ice chest and suitcase. "There's money on top of the fridge and just go by Carly's house when you're hungry."

She stopped at the door and looked at Sam. "Don't be upset 'bout what I just told you. You should take it as advice instead of criticism. I'll see you later."

Sam vaguely heard the door close and tires squealing away. After a few moments of sitting there, she got up. She had to stop thinking about everything her mom just said.

Sam went into her room and put on her headphones, blasting the music volume. She closed her eyes. Maybe her mom was right...

* * *

Sam sat in Carly's living room, watching TV. Carly was upstairs cleaning the iCarly studio and Spencer was working on a sculpture that had to be worked on outside in the park.

It was almost eight and Freddie was supposed to be here any minute. Sam wished he wouldn't come. After staying up half the night thinking about what her mom said...going on this date with Freddie wouldn't feel right anymore.

The door opened. "Hey Sam. You ready to go?" Freddie asked as he came in and stood next to her.

Sam looked up at him. "You were really being serious about going out on a date?" Sam used a monotonous voice.

"Yeah, and I thought you were being serious about agreeing with me."

Sam sighed, grabbing the remote to the TV and turning it off. She stood up. "You don't want to date me."

Freddie scoffed. "And why not?"

"You know why Freddie."

"No...I really don't. I think I do want to date you, Sam."

"Freddie, just stop it! Stop saying that!"

"Why Sam? What's so horrible about me wanting to date you?"

"Because you're just settling for second-best! I know that, you know that, the whole freaking world knows it!"

"Sam, that isn't true!" Freddie grabbed her arms. "Look at me, Sam. That isn't true. You are not second-best and I really _do_ want to date you."

Sam closed her eyes. "I hate you, Freddie and I never want to see you again." she said as she squirmed her way out of his grip and walked out of the apartment.

Freddie groaned as he plopped down on the couch. This wasn't what he had been hoping for.

"Freddie? What are you doing here? I thought I heard the door close and that you and Sam had already left for your date." Carly smiled at the word 'date.' She had always wanted to see Sam and Freddie on a date. She thought it might be ubber cute.

"Sam just walked out. I guess you could say we got into a small argument."

"Are you serious? Why can't you two pass one minute without getting into an argument."

Freddie walked back to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to look for Sam. I have to make her see differently." Freddie mumbled the last part as he walked out of the Shay apartment.

* * *

Sam wiped at her tears furiously. She didn't know why she had said that. She didn't know why she just told Freddie that she hated him. That wasn't true! Sam knew that much. Her mom was probably right though. Freddie would just go running back to Carly and tomorrow they would be an official couple. Within a month, Sam would receive the wedding invitations.

It started raining. Sam pulled up her hood for some small protection and ducked into a covered alley. She sighed as she leaned against the wall. She knew that she had just blown something that could've been amazing.

"Might as well have blown it now then have it blow up in my face later." Sam muttered to herself as she kicked some trash.

The rain was starting to lighten up after a few seconds of downpour. Sam turned around, staring out at the street and deciding whether or not she would get soaked. She didn't hear anyone behind her, but she felt the napkin brought up to her face, covering her mouth and nose. Her heart dropped. _This can't be happening! It just can't be!_

"You're going to be a fine addition to the collection." Sam heard someone say before she lost all control of her senses and everything went black.


	2. The Blue Nursery

A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews! I did _not _expect that big of a response, so thank you! I understand there's not a lot of Sam in this chapter, but there will be more in the next one, I just had to set some things up in this chapter. Read it, enjoy it, then review it!

* * *

The Blue Nursery

Freddie ran outside, not caring that Lewbert was yelling at him, or that it was pouring outside. He had to find Sam. He had to make things right, even if he didn't know exactly what happened. He started running down the sidewalk, calling her name, when he ran head-on into Spencer.

"Whoa, easy there, buddy!" Spencer said as he tried balancing his umbrella and his sculpture (it looked vaguely like a purple light bulb, but Freddie wasn't sure). "Where's the fire?"

"I'm looking for Sam. She ran out on me and we were supposed to have gone on a date tonight." Freddie said as he kept looking over Spencer's shoulder, hoping he might see Sam.

Spencer didn't hide the grin at hearing Freddie was supposed to go out with Sam. "Did you say something wrong?"

"No! I don't know what happened, she just got upset all of a sudden! I have to go find her." Freddie said, beginning to push past Spencer.

"Freddie, wait. Maybe Sam just needs some space. Clear her head. I'm sure she'll give you a call when she's ready." Spencer said as he held Freddie back.

"But I need to fix this!" Freddie grabbed his hair in frustration. "She said she hates me, Spencer. She hates me and never wants to see me again."

"This isn't the first time she's told you that though."

"But this time she sounded like she really meant it!"

Spencer let out a small sigh. "Seems like you're pretty determined to find her, no matter what I say." Spencer held out his umbrella for Freddie to grab it. "Here, I'm sure she'll say something if you don't bring an umbrella."

Freddie gave a small smile as he took the umbrella from Spencer. "Thanks."

"Oh, wait! Before you go...guess what this is!" Spencer said as he held out his sculpture for Freddie to see.

Freddie frowned as he looked at it. He could hardly see it without the sun and the street lamps were no help. "A purple light bulb?"

"No! It's supposed to be a plum." Spencer said with a pout. "I gotta go before this gets ruined. Good luck with finding Sam!" Spencer called out as he started walking backwards towards Bushwell Plaza.

Freddie waved before running again, opting to close the umbrella. He would open it once he had found Sam.

The rain was slowly starting to calm until it was a light drizzle. Freddie didn't care that he might catch or cold or that his mom would be more than angry with him or that he might run into some crazy person. The only thing that mattered at that moment was to find Sam.

* * *

He sat in the rocking chair, rocking back and forth in a continuous pattern. The tiny baby boy he held slept peacefully in his arms. From his seat, he had a clear view of the security camera screens. He could watch her. She was perfect, much more than all the other ones. Natural blonde hair, cerulean blue eyes, a wonderfully petite figure. _Perfect_.

The only thing was he didn't know if she would be perfect enough. Yes, she was physically perfect, but what about mentally? He would give it a week, test her capabilities before he made his move. If she passed, she would be his for nine months, maybe ten if she was as perfect as he believed.

The baby stirred and began moving his curled fists around. He let out a soft whimper of discomfort.

"Shh, don't worry. You're new mother will be up in a few hours. I'm sure of it." the man said as he stood up and began bouncing the baby lightly to calm him down.

* * *

He didn't find her. He couldn't find any trace of Sam. That's why Freddie was now in the park, walking with his head down, his hands in his pockets, and the umbrella hanging off his arm. The rain had stopped a while ago, but that didn't mean Freddie was dry. Drenched was the more appropriate word.

There were police sirens in the distance and Freddie looked up for a moment. He could see the lights flashing against the buildings. Two squad cars screeched to a stop on the street in front of Freddie.

Freddie stopped walking and stared, wondering what was going on. He figured it out as soon as his mom stepped out of one of the police cars.

"Freddie! What in the world is the matter with you?" Mrs. Benson yelled as she ran towards Freddie and pulled him into a tight hug. She let go and grabbed his arms to look at him. "You're completely soaked! Were you walking around in the rain? What have I told you about using an umbrella anytime it looks cloudy outside? And why haven't you been answering your phone? I was worried about you!"

"Mom, calm down! I'm fine. I'm right here." Freddie looked behind his mom and saw two police officers staring at them with their arms crossed. One of them started to approach them.

"Ma'am," started the officer. "Is this your son?"

"Yes Officer Ben, this is my son. Thank you so much for helping me find him! I thought he might've left me!" Mrs. Benson said as she gave Freddie another bone-crunching hug.

"All right, Mom. You can let go of me." Freddie said as he squirmed out of his mom's hug.

"If that's it, then we'll be leaving." Ben said. He turned around and began walking towards the other officer.

"Wait! I have to report something." Freddie called out before the could get any further.

"What is it?" Ben asked.

"My friend took off and I can't find her. I think she might've run away or something."

The other officer, George, pulled out a pad and pen. "What's her name?"

"Samantha Puckett, but she prefers Sam. She was wearing blue high tops with green shoelaces, black jeans, a green shirt with a gray vest, a long silver necklace, blonde hair, blue eyes, sixteen years old, about 5' 3'', maybe 5' 4''." Freddie was surprised with how much he remembered how she looked, much less what she was wearing. She did look very pretty tonight.

"Any other details you might've forgot? A birthmark on her hand?" Ben asked sarcastically.

Freddie refused to let a scowl come on his face. "No, that's all I can remember. She's been gone since eight and isn't picking up her cell or house phone. I've checked all her favorite places, but she isn't there."

George clicked the pen a few times before handing it over to Freddie to write down a contact number. "We'll go to the police station and set up a missing persons report. We'll call you if we find anything. It's probably nothing though, so you shouldn't worry."

Freddie nodded, even if he didn't agree. He wrote down his cell, his mom's cell, Spencer's cell, and the landline for Carly and Spencer. At least he had the police helping him look for Sam.

George and Ben both went into their separate squad cars, and this time drove off quietly with no lights or sirens.

"Freddie, is that why you left like that? You were looking for Sam?" Mrs. Benson questioned.

Freddie looked at his mom sheepishly. "Yeah...I'm really worried about her! She hasn't called me, Carly, or Spencer, and she hasn't sent any text messages. This isn't like her. Whenever she takes off like this, she _always_ let's us know thirty minutes later that she's fine and that she'll be back within an hour." Freddie checked his phone, ignoring all the notifications of missed calls from his mom. It was ten thirty. "Two and a half hours and she still hasn't called."

Mrs. Benson's eyebrows came together, just like any other time she was worried about something. "Well, I'm sure she's fine. Let's get you home before you catch a cold. Try not to worry about Sam. The police are looking for her too."

Freddie pursed his lips as he started walking with his mom. The bad feeling in the pit of his stomach just grew even more as they headed back to Bushwell Plaza.

* * *

Sam could feel her senses slowly coming back to her. She wiggled her fingers a little before moving her hands, then her arms. She shut her eyes tighter before opening them. Everything was a little fuzzy at first, but it came into focus as soon as she sat up and leaned against the wall.

The room she was in was painted a light blue, almost pale looking. She was leaning against the wall that was right across from a door. To her right was a cabinet. The cabinet had a board sticking out of the side, almost like a little table that Sam could reach by standing. To her left was a rocking chair with a blue baby blanket laid across it. Right next to the door across from her was a crib.

Sam jumped up and stood in the middle of the room, taking everything in. She was in a nursery. She had been kidnapped and taken to a nursery! A warehouse, meat locker, even the docks would've been believable, but a nursery?

Sam looked at the door and felt as if it was taunting her, showing her a way of escape, but no guarantee at success. She pursed her lips, trying to figure out the chances of the door being locked. While her mind was trying to come up with an escape plan, the door opened.

A man came in, Sam assumed the man who took her. Her first instinct was to charge at him and attack him. As she was running towards him though, she saw a small bundle in his arms. She slowed down. He was holding a baby.

The man smiled, showing his yellowed teeth. "Smart girl. I knew you would stop once you saw the kid." his voice was deep, unlike any other male voice Sam had heard. From the moment she heard him in the alley, she hated that voice.

Sam took a few steps back. "Who are you and why am I here?" she demanded to know.

The smile on his face stayed in place. "Don't yell. You'll wake the baby. I suppose you'll have to call me something, so call me Desmond."

Sam swallowed hard, trying to keep her fear from showing. "What do you want with me?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"I want to know if you know what to do." Desmond set the baby in the crib. He pinched the baby's arm and left as soon as the baby began crying.

Sam ran to the door and turned the knob, ignoring the crying baby. Desmond locked it. "Let me out!" Sam yelled as she pounded her fists against the door. "Let me out, you nut job!"

The baby continued crying, getting louder because of Sam's yelling.

Sam yelled in frustration and kicked the door before turning to the crib. The baby's face was red from crying. Sam didn't want to touch the baby. He seemed to have been very comfortable with Desmond, so it must've meant he was Desmond's spawn. Sam refused to touch Desmond's spawn.

She leaned against the door and slid to the ground. She covered her ears, trying to block they baby's cries. It didn't work.

"You hate kids and kids hate you, remember?" Sam mumbled to herself. "You can't do anything to get the baby to stop crying, this is just some weird and sick joke."

Sam closed her eyes, still able to hear the baby crying. She had enough of it. She stood up and walked to the crib. "Hey baby, why are you crying?" she cooed gently.

The baby didn't seem to hear Sam because he continued crying. Sam bit her lower lip as she reached into the crib, picked the baby up and began bouncing him up and down.

She looked around, wondering what the baby might need. Maybe a diaper change? Some milk? While Sam was looking around, she noticed something in the far upper-right corner. A security camera. He was watching her.

* * *

Aaron, the night guard for 'Seattle's Best Gym', sat back down in his chair after a quick late-night run to Chili Bowl. As he sat down to look at the screens from the security cameras, he doubted anything interesting happened while he was gone.

Aaron looked at the wall clock and his eyes bulged. It was midnight. Maybe his 'quick' run to Chili Bowl hadn't been as quick as he thought. He had been gone since seven thirty. Aaron knew he shouldn't have stopped to flirt with the cashier, or call his mom, or invite his buddy's to join him to eat. Well, it was done and there was no going back to fix it.

The screens showed nothing except for the back alley outside of the gym. It was one of the few alleys that was actually covered in Seattle. Most people didn't notice this, but Aaron did. He was the one that suggested covering the alley, a shelter from the rain.

Since nothing interesting seemed to be going on at the moment, Aaron pulled up the recordings from after he left. He hit the fast forward button, not seeing anything suspicious, just a few stray cats scurrying for cover from the rain. A few seconds later of fast-forwarding, a young girl came into the alley. Aaron figured she was trying to get out of the rain also. He looked away for a moment to sip his soda, but when he looked back, he saw a man dragging the girl, but she looked unconscious.

Aaron spewed out his soda as he hit the pause button. He back tracked it a few seconds and played it frame by frame. The girl was still in the alley, looking as if she were about to leave. A man came out and shoved a napkin to her face she struggled before finally going limp. The man looked around before dragging her further into the alley. The two were no longer in the shot.

Aaron grabbed the phone and dialed the police. This was bad. "There goes my job." he grumbled to himself before an operator picked up.

* * *

Carly sat up in bed and yawned, stretching out her arms as well. She looked at the clock. It was nine fifteen, Saturday morning. She sighed a little as she stood up and checked her phone for any messages from Sam. Nothing.

She told herself that Sam was fine, that she had no reason to worry. Carly put on her slippers and walked out of her room to the kitchen. She stopped at the foot of the stairs when she saw Freddie sitting on the couch watching TV. "Freddie? What are you doing here?"

"I was bored. My mom went to work already so I decided I'd come over and eat breakfast here." Freddie answered, turning the volume down and looking back at Carly.

Carly looked into the kitchen and saw Spencer cooking some eggs while doing a little dance. "Morning Spencer." she said as she went to the fridge and grabbed a glass of milk.

"Good morning Carly!" Spencer greeted in his chirpy voice. "Would you care for some eggs?"

Carly nodded her head and went to the living room. She sat next to Freddie and glanced at him. She could tell he wasn't paying attention to the cartoons on TV. He was preoccupied. "Did you hear anything?"

Freddie shook his head. "Did you?"

"Nope." Carly blew out a huff of air. "But I'm sure she's fine. It's Sam we're talking about. She knows how to take care of herself."

Freddie gave a small nod in agreement and returned to watching the cartoons. A few minutes later, Spencer announced the eggs were ready and the three of them sat at the table with the eggs in front of them.

They ate in silence, Spencer tried starting up a conversation, but failed. The phone started ringing and Spencer got up to answer it. "Hello?" he answered.

Spencer took a seat at the bar with the phone pressed to his ear. A frown appeared on his face. "Yeah, this is Spencer Shay."

Carly and Freddie exchanged a look before focusing back on Spencer. He listened in silence before covering his face with one hand. "You're positive? There's not some kind of mistake?" he let the other person speak. "Yeah, but...that couldn't have happened." Spencer got up and walked into the living room, pacing a little. "He does what?" he stopped and exclaimed. "No, you're wrong. This couldn't have happened!...I am not in denial! This wouldn't have-" he exhaled sharply and let the person speak. "I'll be down there as soon as I can." he hung up the phone and looked at Freddie and Carly.

Freddie could see the hopeless look on Spencer's face. Freddie knew immediately that this was about Sam. "What happened?"

Spencer swallowed hard, setting the phone back in the receiver. "They found a security tape and it has Sam in it."

"So they know where she is." Carly said, remaining the optimist.

"Not exactly, but...they know who took her. The police want me to go down to the station since Freddie's mom is still working and she can't get off."

Freddie stood up. "I'm going with you."

"No, you're both staying here." Spencer said as he put on a jacket to stay warm from the chilly October air.

"Carly will stay here, but I'm going." Freddie said. He was more than determined to go.

Spencer shook his head in disapproval, but said nothing more "We'll see you later, Carly." Spencer said as they both walked out the door.

Freddie and Spencer started walking downstairs to the lobby. "Sam will be fine, right?" Freddie asked. He needed something to bring back his hopes.

"I honestly don't know, Freddie."


	3. Stinger

A/N: So I did some explaining in the this chapter of what was going on. I tried my best not to make it too confusing. It sounds good to me, but that might only be because I know what's going to happen next. So if there's any confusion, let me know and I'll do my best to explain it better! Thank you everyone who reviewed! Reviews make me want to keep going with this story. Comments, reviews, feedback, they're all appreciated! Enjoy this newest chapter!

* * *

Stinger

Sam set the baby back in the crib once he stopped his crying and was finally asleep. Besides being rudely woken by Desmond, he had to burp. Sam was just glad he didn't vomit all over her shirt.

She walked to the door and tried the knob again. Her better judgment told her it would still be locked, but she had to try it anyways. Locked, just like her better judgment had told her. Sam held in a growl of frustration as she walked back to the middle of the room. She looked up at the security camera and she felt her stomach churn. This Desmond guy really was sick.  
Sam didn't want her every move recorded to be watched by this man. It was a total invasion of privacy and she would not stand for it. If she couldn't get out, then she would make the recording stop.

The rocking chair was her best bet to be able to reach to camera. She went over to it and started dragging it against the carpet and positioned it right under the camera. She looked around the room for anything to cover the lens with. She opened the cabinets and found it was stocked with diapers, wipes, bottles, and baby formula. Everything she would need to take care of the baby.

She grabbed one of the diapers then looked to the camera. It was crazy, but it was the only thing that could possibly work. With a diaper in hand, Sam climbed on top the rocking chair. While trying to keep her balance, Sam undid the folded diaper and started to cover the lens.

* * *

Desmond leaned back in his chair as he watched her stand in the middle of the room. It had taken her fifteen minutes to calm the boy down, but she had done it. The last girl that had to take care of a child took thirty minutes to calm the baby down.

She turned her face and was now staring directly into the camera. Desmond watched with growing interest as she grabbed the rocking chair and put it under the camera. She then walked to the cabinet, stood there looking at the diapers for a moment, before grabbing one and standing on top of the rocking chair.

Desmond smiled. None of the others had tried doing this. They would either yell and scream their lungs out, or curl up in a corner and cry. Samantha Puckett was in a whole other league than the others.

Within a few seconds, the camera lens had been completely covered by the diaper. He waited for the diaper to fall off and Sam to finally break down in tears, yelling how unfair this world was. The diaper never fell though.

Desmond clicked the mouse button a few times and the blackened screen switched to a view of Sam's back, standing on the rocking chair. She still hadn't figured out that Desmond also had a smaller, much discreeter, security camera installed right above the door.

He looked at his watch. It was nine thirty in the morning. Almost time for his shift at work. He stood and looked at the screen one last time. Sam was now sitting in the rocking chair looking very pleased with herself. Eight hours and then he would come back to her.

* * *

Spencer walked up to the front desk in the Seattle Police station with Freddie close by. "We're here for information on Sam Puckett." Spencer said.

The woman behind the desk looked up from behind her glasses, smiled at Spencer and began typing away at the computer. "We don't have anything on Sam Puckett, but we do have something on Samantha Puckett." she said.

"Same thing." Freddie mumbled.

"Yeah, I meant Samantha." Spencer said, ignoring Freddie's comment.

"Detective Percy will speak with you. Down the hall, third door on your left." the woman said.

Spencer nodded a thank you and he and Freddie both walked walked to Detective Percy's office. Spencer knocked on the door a few times before it was answered by a man in his late thirties most likely.

"You must be Spencer Shay." he said as he held out his hand for a hand shake. "I'm Detective Ronald Percy. You can just call me Percy."

"They said that you were going to give me some information about Sam."

Detective Percy nodded his head once, but then looked to Freddie. "I'm sorry, but I can't say anything in front of the kid." he said to Spencer.

"I'm not a kid." Freddie said adamantly. "I need to know what happened to Sam and one way or another, I'm going to find out."

Detective Percy narrowed his eyes as he looked at Freddie. "Kid, what I'm about to talk about isn't some kind of camp fire ghost story. This is real and it'd be better if you didn't hear all the gory details."

"Freddie, maybe you _should_ wait outside." Spencer added.

"Like I said, no."

"It's your call." Detective Percy said to Spencer.

Spencer sighed. "All right, fine." he said, throwing his hands in the air a little.

Freddie walked in and the two took a seat in the chairs in front of Percy's desk. The detective sat behind his desk and clasped his hands together. "What exactly were you told about what happened last night with Sam?"

"Just that she went in an alley to take cover from the rain and that's where she was taken."

Percy nodded his head as he leaned forward. "I've checked the system for other kidnappings like this one and found something. We matched the guy in the security tape to several cases we've had in the past. We don't exactly know his name, but he has a pretty nasty reputation in Washington."

"So does that mean you have some sort of idea of where to start looking?" Freddie asked.

"No. The only thing we do know is how long we have to look for her." Percy grabbed a file and handed it to them.

Spencer flipped open the file and the two looked through it. Police reports, medical records, missing persons reports, they were all in there. And in the back were a dozen pictures of girls. All of them had blonde hair, blue eyes, a small frame, and were about Sam's size.

"Whoever this guy is, he seems to stick to a pattern. He'll kidnap a young girl with certain physical features, impregnate her after a few weeks, then kill her by the third month of the pregnancy. There were only two exceptions to this. The third victim and the last victim. Both of them were found to have _been_ pregnant, but gave birth. Doctor's figured they were killed right after delivering the baby."

"What would happen to the baby?" Spencer asked, pushing the file away.

"We don't know what happened to the latest baby, but the first one was found dead about ten months after he was born."

Freddie leaned back in his chair. "You're sure Sam was taken by this guy?"

Percy nodded grimly. "Since this guy kills most of his victims after three months, we're giving the investigation four months. After that...it's going to have to go into the cold case section."

Freddie clenched his jaw. "That isn't going to happen. We're going to find Sam and she's going to be all right."

"Was there anything else, Detective Percy?" Spencer asked before Freddie could go into a tirade.

"No, that was it. I'll do everything I can to try and find Sam, but I can't make any promises."

"We understand. Come on, Freddie. We should let Carly know." Spencer nudged Freddie out of his chair and led him to the car.

Spencer had said nothing in the car and Freddie felt he was about to explode if he didn't vent. "This isn't fair! What did Sam ever do to deserve something like this?" Freddie finally yelled.

"Everything will turn out for the better Freddie. Don't worry about it."

Freddie stared at Spencer. "How can you be so calm about this? Sam has been taken by a _sociopath_ and you're telling me not to worry?"

Spencer turned to look at Freddie. "The only reason I'm calm is because someone has to be the calm one to keep all the frantic ones under control." he gave Freddie a pointed look before looking back at the road. "I'm _terrified_ for Sam. I can't believe that something like this happened to her, but there's nothing we can really do about it right now. We have to let the police do their work."

Freddie sighed and looked out the window. He had a feeling there was nothing he could do and that just made whatever hope he had left fly out the window.

* * *

Sam didn't know how long it had been in the real world. She could only keep up with the days by how many meals Desmond gave to her through a small opening in the door. From what she guessed, it had been a week. It felt like years though since she saw the sun, or heard the rain outside. She didn't realize how such simple things could make all the difference when they were taken away.

The baby boy would cry, Sam would pick him up, fed him, change him, burp him, do whatever she needed to do to get him to go back to sleep. From what she remembered in the health class she took with Carly and Freddie, the baby was about a month old. He had to be fed every two hours, or something like that.

The diaper on the camera had stayed, but Sam still had the feeling she was being watched. Everytime she would fall asleep, there would be a fresh stock of diapers and baby formula in the cabinet. Desmond still knew when she would fall asleep. Sam wasn't stupid, she knew there had to be another camera in the room, but she just couldn't find it.

Thoughts of everyone back home would constantly invade Sam's mind when she wasn't taking care of the baby. Carly was probably worried sick. Sam didn't even know if someone told her mom what happened. Melanie might not know either, but she'd be worried as much as Carly, maybe a little more. Spencer would be worried too, but he'd make sure everyone else would stay calm. And Freddie...this was probably killing him. Sam cringed internally when she remembered what her last words were to him. 'I hate you. I never want to see you again.'

Sam had been thinking exactly about that right before she fell asleep. She didn't hear the door open, but if she had, she would've woken up and saw Desmond coming at her with a syringe. He brushed back the hair that fell on her neck and slowly injected the needle into her. She inhaled sharply but was unconscious as the fluid invaded her body.

* * *

"Hey,"

Freddie looked up from his locker at Carly. He stood up and gave a small nod. "Hey."

"Spencer said he'd give us a ride home from school today."

Freddie remembered his mom mentioning something like that. Her shifts had been changed again and she wouldn't be able to pick up Freddie. "Is he outside yet?"

"I don't think so. He hasn't sent me a text."

They started walking down the hallway of the school. Students passing them would give them pity looks. It annoyed Freddie more than anything in the world.

It had been a whole week since Sam had gone missing. There was still nothing. Detective Percy had gone over the crime scene and the surrounding areas a dozen times and there was nothing that he found that could help the investigation.

No one had been able to contact Ms. Puckett yet, but they were able to contact Melanie. She was going to come down as soon as she possibly could. Everyone at school had found out one way or another, and the rest of the world probably knew because Carly and Freddie didn't do a webshow last night.

"So...do you think they might've found something new?" Carly tried to start a conversation as they went outside and waited for Spencer to pull up.

Freddie shrugged his shoulders. "It's kind of hard to believe they would find something new, but I really wish they would." Freddie said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Carly shivered a little at the wind blowing. There was going to be a cold front coming in tonight. Carly could only hope that wherever Sam was, she would be warm tonight and that nothing bad would happen to her.

* * *

Desmond stared at her from his seat. She was lying on the bed, one arm covering her forehead and the other hanging off the bed. She was so close, he just had to reach out and he could touch her hair. It didn't matter that she hadn't bathed in a week, or changed clothing. At least she was smart enough to make use of the pan under the crib.

Desmond was so happy she made it through the first week. Now he could have her, just like he wished. He just needed to wait for the drugs to wear off after a bit before she would wake up.

The baby was still asleep and wouldn't be waking up for a few hours. He was actually surprised Sam still hadn't given the baby a name. Well, naming him was completely up to her. Desmond would give her that much for taking care of the baby.

He watched her hands slowly clench and unclench before her arms started moving. She tried to move her legs, but Desmond had bound her by the ankles to the bottom of the bedpost. Once he showed her the pictures, then he would get to the wrists.

Her eyes opened and she stared at the ceiling. It was gray, not the usual pale blue she was used to. She sat up slowly, and looked around. Her body froze when she saw him sitting there, just staring at her. She pulled her legs, but they wouldn't move. The knots were too tight. "What do you want from me?" Sam asked in a quiet voice.

Desmond grabbed an old Polaroid camera that was next to him and took a picture of her. The camera printed the picture and Desmond pulled it out, waiting for it to dry. It finally did and the image showed a confused and worried look on Sam's face. Perfect.

Setting the picture and camera down, Desmond grabbed a photo album and tossed it to Sam. She caught it. "What's this?"

"Open it."

Sam clenched her jaw, afraid of what she might find if she did. But her hands opened the album. The first picture was of a girl, blonde hair like Sam and in the same position as Sam; ankles tied to a bed. The next one was of the same girl, but she had a slightly bigger stomach. Fear was etched on her face forever.

The next page had another picture, just like the first one, but of a different girl. There was another picture of her, bigger stomach, fear. Sam's hands began shaking when she turned the page. Same pose, different girl. The only difference was in the second picture of her. She was holding a baby.

Sam flipped through several pages, all of the pictures almost exactly alike. The last picture was of another girl holding a baby boy. Sam recognized the baby boy as the one she had been taken care of.

She slammed the album shut. "What kind of sick person are you?" Sam yelled at him. She pulled at the ropes, trying to untie them, but couldn't.

"Shh...you're going to wake the baby." Desmond said calmly as he walked towards her with ropes in hand.

"No, leave me alone!" Sam scratched in the air, missing Desmond completely. Whatever he had injected in her, left her completely disoriented. She struggled a best as she could, but her arms felt heavy. It was from the drugs Desmond had injected in her. She was too weak to fight back. She kept her eyes shut as she pulled against the ropes that now tied her wrists to the bedframe.

"Relax, this won't hurt one bit."

Sam kept her eyes shut, but let out a small cry when she heard the sound of a belt being dropped to the ground. The bed shifted with extra weight.

_Freddie, help me!_

_

* * *

_She kept her knees close to her chest by holding them with her arms. Sam didn't know how she ended up back in the nursery, but it was better than that bedroom.

_Once, twice, three times, four-_

Sam buried her head in her arms. She didn't want to remember how many times. Her whole body ached. She would make a noise, Desmond hit her. She had tried so hard to fight him, but the drugs he had given her left her feeling dizzy. She had rope burns on her ankles and wrists. He lied when he said it wasn't going to hurt. But what could she expect from someone like him? The _truth_? That was a fairytale.

"_Hold on, Sam. We're going to find you. I promise."  
_  
Sam jerked her head up and looked around. She could've swore she heard Freddie. But even if she had heard Freddie, what made her think he or anyone else was going to find her?  
The baby started crying. He was probably hungry, but Sam didn't want to move. She was hurting. Nothing could ever make her stop hurting. She wasn't going to move for that baby.

Her mind pushed a memory to the front. Freddie had been trying to come up with an insulting name to call her.

"_You're just a...a...a prideful chickie! You won't let anyone see you down so that just makes you a prideful chickie!"  
_  
Sam couldn't believe it, but she smiled at the memory. She remembered that she and Carly had both laughed at Freddie's horrible attempt. She looked up at the video camera and saw the diaper was missing.

Freddie was still right. Sam was a prideful chickie and she wasn't about to let Desmond see her down. She pushed everything out of her mind as she pushed herself up off the floor and slowly made her way to the crib. She picked up the baby and began rocking him.

"Don't worry. Sam isn't going to let anything happen to you." Sam smiled at the baby. "Nothing's going to happen to you because you are going to have the best name ever. Micah Sting. I'll call you Stinger for short."

The baby had stopped crying and instead let out a gurgle of contentment. 


	4. But I Like Ham

A/N: This chapter was a bit hard to write and sorry it was short. But I'm really excited about writing the next two chapters! Still read this chapter, hope you like it, _really_ hope you review it. Oh, and happy Fourth of July to everyone who celebrates it!

* * *

But I Like Ham

Desmond watched her from his chair. He knew now that she was definitely not like the others. Yes, she had crawled into a corner and had been sitting there for a while. It actually seemed as if she was crying a little, but she still hadn't broken down completely. She was now cooing at the baby. From what Desmond heard, she had named the child Micah Sting, but would call him Stinger.

Earlier, Sam had proven herself and Desmond continued with her. Now he had to wait a few days to make sure the seed had been laid. If not, then he would just have to pull her in for round two. He wouldn't mind that all, to be perfectly honest.

* * *

Freddie sat on Carly's couch in the living room, the TV turned on to the news and his computer resting on his legs. He had been spending more time than usual at Carly's apartment. Because of the new shift his mom had, he was alone for most of the day after he came back from school. Freddie couldn't stand to be alone.

"Hey there Freddo! What are you working on?" Spencer asked as he jogged out of his room.e at the moment.

"Research." Freddie replied vaguely.

"Okay...so how was school?" Spencer asked, trying to get a conversation going.

"Just like any other Monday."

Spencer frowned. "But it's Tuesday."

Freddie sighed and closed the lid on the laptop. At that moment, Sam would've called him a nub that couldn't keep up with dates. He got up and sat at the bar. "Have you heard anything from Percy?"

Spencer shook his head and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl. "He'll call when something new comes up."

"That just means nothing new has come up and they're stuck at a dead end." Freddie grumbled.

"Hey Freddie, hey Spence." Carly said as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. "What's up?" her usual bubbliness was toned down a lot considering their present situation.

"Nothing, just trying to keep a conversation going with Freddie." Spencer said, pointing the banana at Freddie.

Freddie rolled his eyes. It wasn't his fault he didn't feel like talking to anyone anymore.

"Oh, that's nice." Carly said. Poking her head in the fridge, looking for something to munch on.

"So how was school for you kiddo?" Spencer asked Carly.

Carly shrugged her shoulders as she opened a Peppy Cola. "Nothing exciting."

Someone started knocking on the door and Freddie got up. "I'll answer it." he was secretly hoping it was Detective Percy to give them some news. He wasn't prepared for who was really behind the door.

"Sam!" he exclaimed as he threw his arms around the blonde. He didn't take notice of the fact that her curly hair had been straightened or that she was wearing a heels, a pink pencil skirt and a white blouse with a pink sweater, plus a white purse hanging on her shoulder. He knew the outfit was strange on Sam, but he said nothing. He was just glad she was back, safe and sound it seemed."I'm so glad you're all right! We thought you were never coming back, but here you are!" Freddie exclaimed as he finally let her go.

She pursed her lips and looked nervously at Carly.

"Freddie, that isn't Sam. That's Melanie." Carly told him gently.

Freddie looked over at Carly then back to Melanie. "Oh…" he said a bit awkwardly. His face started turning red. "Sorry…I, um…didn't know." he said as he took a step back to let her in. He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Melanie gave him a small smile. "It's all right, Freddie."

Freddie sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets."No, it was...my fault. I never believed Sam when she said she had a twin."

Melanie forced a grin. "Doesn't surprise me. Sam was always playing jokes like that on people."

Freddie noticed her use of past tense, but didn't dare say anything.

Carly gave Melanie a hug. "So how are you?"

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "As good as I can be."

"Melanie, it's good to see you." Spencer said as he walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Have you heard anything from your mom?"

"No, she's actually in Canada right now. Sam e-mailed me Thursday night about a week ago telling me about it." Melanie's voice ended on a sad note. It had been the day before she was kidnapped.

"I better call the detective and let him know then." Spencer said, walking backwards to his room.

"What's your mom doing in Canada?" Freddie asked. "How could she just leave Sam behind like that?" Maybe her mom leaving was what set Sam off.

"She's with her boyfriend." Melanie explained.

"And this isn't the first time she's left like that. She does it at least three times a year." Carly said, sounding very nonchalant.

Freddie shook his head. He coudln't talk about this right now. He didn't want to. "I'm going to get a coffee."

"You should put on a sweater. It's kind of cold outside." Carly called out.

Freddie took Carly's advice and grabbed one of the sweaters hanging on the coat rack. He didn't care it was Spencer's or that he was taking it without permission.

Carly winced a little when Freddie shut the door loudly behind him. "Sorry about, Freddie. He's taking all of it pretty hard. He actually thinks it's partly his fault."

Melanie shook her head. "He shouldn't blame himself."

"Well he does. I've tried talking to him last week, but he wouldn't listen to me." Carly paused a moment, letting the gears in her head work. "What if you talk to him? Maybe he'll listen to you?"

Melanie shook her head. "I don't think he will. I look too much like Sam and it might make him feel worse. He'll see me as Sam telling him that it wasn't his fault and who knows what that might do to him."

Carly nodded her head at Melanie's logic. "And are you sure you're all right?"

Melanie pursed her lips and looked down at her hands. "You know how some twins can feel what the other twin is feeling?"

Carly nodded her head, letting Melanie continue.

"Well, me and Sam always had something like that going on. And right now...I just feel all this pain...and I know it isn't from me, it's from Sam." Melanie looked up at Carly, right before her tears began falling from her eyes. "I want Sam back. I need my sister back."

Carly gave Melanie a hug and the two were soon crying together on the couch.

* * *

"Who's ready for some meatloaf?" Spencer called out as he set the dish on the table.

Carly shut off the TV and she, Melanie, and Freddie got up and joined Spencer at the table.

Freddie had come back after an hour from the coffee shop. Still not wanting to go back to his apartment, he came over again and joined Carly and Melanie on the couch while they watched TV.

They began piling food on their plates. Freddie tried not watching Melanie, but he couldn't help it. She looked exactly like Sam. He half expected her to grab her fork and poke him in his side.

Someone rang the doorbell and began knocking repeatedly. "Coming!" Spencer called out, jogging to open the door.

"Where's Sam? I know she's here! Tell her to come out right now! She is in the biggest trouble ever!"

"Um...Mrs. Puckett-"

She scoffed. "Hate that name. Call me Terri."

"All right, Terri...Sam isn't here."

"Don't lie to me!" Terri exclaimed as she pushed her way inside.

Freddie, Carly, and Melanie turned around to look at her.

"There you are! I've been calling you since I've come back! You forgot to send the money for the bills and now they've shut off _all_ the utilities! Had to end my vacation because the electric company got a hold of me and told me what was going on with the bills!"

"Mom, I-"

"No excuses, Sam!"

"Terri, that's Melanie. Sam's...gone." Spencer said.

Terri looked at Spencer to Melanie. She didn't hear the last part of what Spencer said. She squinted her eyes and realization dawned on her. "What are you doing home from school? And where the heck is your sister?"

Melanie swallowed hard and looked at Freddie and Carly before looking back to Terri. "I think maybe we should talk privately about Sam." Melanie said in a steady voice.

"Freddie, Carly, go upstairs." Spencer said.

Neither said an opposing word as they climbed the stairs. It was quiet at first, then they heard Terri and Melanie yelling, Spencer trying to play peacemaker. Something was thrown and it broke. A few minutes later, Spencer came up. "Melanie went home with her mom. Terri was pretty upset and Melanie had to go with her to make sure she didn't do anything stupid."

Carly sat on one of the bean bags. "She's probably going to be with her mom for the time she's here." Carly said softly.

"Probably. It looked like Terri needed someone to take care of her right now." Spencer said.

Carly pursed her lips. "That's what Sam was always doing. She was always taking care of her mom."

Freddie watched as Carly started crying and Spencer begged her not to. Spencer finally picked her up after a few seconds and carried her downstairs. Freddie was alone in the studio, something he had been trying to avoid.

"Freddie, are you in here?"

Freddie turned around and saw his mom coming in. "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Marissa pursed her lips while she gave Freddie a long and hard look.

"Is there something I forgot?" Freddie asked.

Marissa said nothing. Instead, she reached down, grabbed his leg and tried pulling off his shoe.

"Mom! What are you doing?" Freddie yelled as he held on to the computer cart for support, accidentally pushing a few keys on his laptop as well.

"Give me your shoe, Freddie! I need to do something!"

Freddie yanked his leg away from her and took of his shoe. "Here! Take the shoe!"

Marissa smiled as she patted Freddie's hair. "That's a good boy. I'll give it back in just a minute!" she called out as she stepped into the elevator.

Freddie shook his head at his mother's odd behavior. If Sam were here, she'd be making fun of him already.

"I don't know, just bring me a bucket of fried chicken!"

Freddie spun around. He heard her! He had seriously heard Sam's voice!

"I don't know, just bring me a bucket of fried chicken!"

He looked at his screen and saw it was on the voice recordings he, Carly, and Sam had done. It was set on Sam's recording and had been on repeat.

"I don't know, just-"

Freddie shut it off and slammed his laptop shut. He leaned forward on his elbows and grabbed his hair. He realized just how much he needed her in his life. He couldn't live without her.

* * *

"Remember, Stinger, meat is red, chicken is white, tofu is gross, and lentils are green."

Stinger cooed as he flailed one of his arm. Sam was sitting on the rocking chair, holding him in her lap. The only way she had been able to stay sane was to start teaching Stinger some new things. Sure, he wasn't probably going to retain any of it, but she needed something to do. Anything to not think about him and what he did to her.

There was a loud snap and Sam looked at the door. The slot where her meals would come from was opened and another plate was being slid through the hole. Mashed potatoes, corn and a couple slices of ham. A huge upgrade from the food she would usually be given: a slice of bread, water, and occasionally an egg.

The potatoes looked good, she'd eat the corn and the ham _should've_ made her happy. But as soon as she saw the ham, she started feeling queasy. Smelling it made her feel even worse. Sam laid Stinger on the floor and ran to the can she threw soiled diapers in. Everything that she had eaten earlier came out.

Sam breathed heavily, her head still in the can. She stared at the vomit in more horror than disgust. Ham never made her feel like that. It was impossible. It was one of her favorite things on Earth and now she was throwing up because of it?

She took a few steps back. Stinger let out a soft gurgle and Sam's heart dropped. She remembered she was supposed to have started her period at the beginning of last week. She was late and was now throwing up because of the smell of ham.

Only one thing could explain it. She was pregnant. 


	5. Great Phone Reception

A/N: New chapter! This one is earlier and longer than usual, but there's a reason for this. I'm going to be gone for a whole month and I'm probably not going to have internet reception. So an update will most likely not come until the second week of August. Really sorry you guys, but I'm going to visit some family in Mexico that I haven't seen in the longest time! And I'd like to point out that o b v i o u s l y . s a r a h gave me the wonderful idea of Desmond's back-story! She really is wonderful :) Anyways, do the usual read, enjoy, _and_ leave a review. I'd really like to come back to a great list of reviews :D

* * *

Great Phone Reception

Sam was just about to fall asleep when she heard the door open. Desmond was standing there, holding something in his arms. "I just calmed Stinger down. You better not pull any stunts." Sam said defiantly.

Desmond's face remained unreadable. He held out what he had for Sam to grab. "It's been a month. You're going to need bigger clothes now. Undress and put theses clothes on."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "What makes you so sure that I'm going to get bigger?"

Desmond smirked, his eye lingering on her flat stomach before reaching her eyes again. "I never fail to plant a seed the first time."

Sam felt the anger bubbling up and she couldn't control her next actions. She ran towards Desmond at full charge. He wasn't holding a baby or food so there was nothing to hold her back. She jumped on top of him and began punching him, trying to get him down.

Desmond struggled for only a few moments before he swung Sam off of him. She landed on the ground with a loud thud. Sam winced, feeling all the air pushed out of her.

"Change into these clothes and I will be back for them in a moment." Desmond said before he left.

Sam hissed as she slowly got up. Her back was going to be hurting horribly. Her whole body was probably going to hurt. Her hand rested on her stomach on instinct. She grabbed the clothes Desmond had tossed to the ground. She knew if she wanted to keep living, she'd have to change. Even if it was stupid looking sweater with a puppy and hearts on the front and some green ugly sweats.  
_  
Was the baby okay?_ Sam closed her eyes. She couldn't be worried about this baby. The baby was his, not hers. She'd get attached if she started thinking of the baby as hers.

She walked to the crib and looked at Stinger. He was staring up at the mobile right above him. Sam already made the mistake of getting attached to Stinger. She couldn't let it happen with the baby she was carrying.

* * *

Desmond wrapped his coat around him tighter and walked a bit faster. It was colder outside than he first thought.

No one was out on the streets yet and the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. It was exactly what he needed to do this. She was the only one he was going to do this for. Sam was so special.

He looked around as he came up to the store he had planned to. A baby boutique for high end customers. Desmond placed Sam's folded up clothing right on the doormat where the owner would be sure to see them.

According to what he found out about the owner, she would call the police after figuring out who the clothes belonged to.

* * *

It had been a month since Sam disappeared. They were in the first week of December and a harsh cold front came sweeping in the first night in December. Thanksgiving had come and gone. Spencer and Carly didn't go to Yakima this time. They were hoping some news might come in about Sam, but as fate would have it, there was no new information. Melanie had gone back to her school after Thanksgiving. Freddie had a hard time being around her, but it helped Carly so much.

Freddie took off his gloves as he approached the door to his apartment. His mom was having her shifts changed again and for the rest of December and to the end of February, she would be working in the morning and would be home by the time Freddie got home from school. He went to his room and dropped off his coat and backpack before heading over to Carly's.

He knocked on their door before opening it. "Hey." he greeted as he took a seat on the couch next to Carly.

"Hey Freddie!" Spencer called out from the kitchen. He was working on a sculpture for Christmas.

"Did you walk home?" Carly asked, turning the volume on the TV down.

Freddie nodded his head.

"You know Spencer picked me up. He could've brought you home too."

"I wanted to get some fresh air." Freddie pointed out.

Carly shook her head, but didn't argue with him. She just turned the volume back up.

The TV kept them occupied for a while. It was boring, but it was better than doing nothing.

Spencer cell started ringing and he quickly dried off his hands from the paint he had been using. "Yellow?"

Carly turned the volume down out of courtesy but now she and Freddie could hear everything he was saying.

"Yeah, hi, did something come up?" Spencer had a look of complete concentration on his face. This worried Carly and Freddie.

Spencer glanced up at them before turning and walking into his room.

"Who do you think that was?" Carly asked.

"Detective Percy." Freddie said, without a doubt in his mind. "He might've found something."

"Do you think they found Sam?"

Freddie purse his lips, but didn't answer her. He honestly doubted they would ever find her, but he didn't dare say this out loud. If he did, it might come true.

A few minutes later, Spencer trudged out of his room, the phone in his hands.

"What did Detective Percy say?" Carly asked.

Spencer didn't say anything until he was standing right behind the couch. He didn't bother asking how Carly knew who he was talking to. "The shop owner of a baby boutique in downtown found some clothes outside folded up neatly. The woman thought they were some donations, but when she brought them inside, she saw they were for an older girl. She was going to throw them away, but she remembered the report on Sam and they said what she had been wearing."

"They were Sam's clothes." Freddie deadpanned.

Spencer sighed. "Yeah. Melanie and Terri already know about it."

"Did they catch the guy on camera?"

"Yeah. They're trying to clear the image, but who knows how clear they'll get it. The lady had an older security camera and they might not be able to identify him with it."

"But this is still good news, right? It means there's a lead now?" Carly asked, trying t steady her voice.

Spencer shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't know, Carls."

Freddie stood up. "I've got homework to do." he mumbled. He stopped at the door. "They'll find Sam. _We'll _find Sam"

Carly sighed as she watched him walk out and close the door. She crossed her arms and hugged herself a little. "I really think he was falling in love with her." she said quietly. She looked up at Spencer. "Freddie right though, isn't he? They'll find her?"

Spencer patted Carly on the shoulder. "I need to get back to work on the sculpture." he didn't want to answer the question because he knew the odds of them finding Sam. They weren't very good odds they were dealing with.

* * *

December came and it went, New Year's Day passed. It was the middle of February. Freddie had been marking off the days on the calendar. It was now four months and a week since Sam disappeared. The footage they had of the man took them nowhere in the case. Spencer was taking Terri to the police station today to talk with Detective Percy on the next step. Moving the case to the cold case files.

"Freddie, you ready to go yet?" Carly called out as she pounded on his front door

"Coming!" Freddie came out of his room and opened the door. Carly was already bundled up and ready to go out. They were meeting some friends at the movies.

"I thought you might've forgotten. Ready?"

Freddie sighed. "I really don't want to go."

"Freddie, we already told Gibby, Wendy, and Jeremy we'd both be there. And it's Jeremy's first time out since he's finally gotten over that cold!" Carly pleaded.

Freddie couldn't believe Carly. It was as if nothing had happened. Didn't she remember the reason why Spencer was going down to the police station?

Carly could tell from the look on Freddie's face that he was getting upset and she knew what it was about. She wasn't that clueless. "Freddie, don't think I've forgotten about what happened." she said in a soft voice. "I think about it all the time. But you know what, there's nothing we can do anymore. I hate to say it, Freddie, I really do, but it's true. I cry all the time at night because I miss Sam and I have no idea if she's fine. But do you honestly think she'd want us to put a hold on everything just because she's not here? We've had to stop iCarly, but in a few weeks were going to have to start filming stuff again and Gibby is going to have to replace Sam's spot."

"Nobody could replace Sam."

"I know that, but she'd want us to keep living, Freddie. I'll always remember her, but I'm also going to keep living. So are you going to come or not?"

Freddie pursed his lips and looked down. He couldn't decide.

"You can't always stay shut up in your room. You _know_ Sam wouldn't like that."

Freddie smiled a little. "She'd call me an old lady."

Carly smiled back. "So you coming?"

Freddie sighed. "I'll get my coat."

* * *

Sam laid on the floor watching Stinger playing with his blanket. He had learn how to sit up by himself already. He would make noises and wave the blanket around with his little fist. Sam couldn't help the smile on her face. Micah Sting was just the cutest baby. She put a hand on her stomach. Her baby would probably be even cuter.

Sam shut her eyes tightly. This wasn't her baby. It was Desmond's, not hers.

The morning sickness had passed and now she was just feeling pain all over her back, feet, legs...pretty much everywhere hurt. About a week ago, Sam noticed a little bump. Her baby bump had finally popped. This was really happening to her. Sam opened her eyes and looked back at Stinger. She wouldn't dwell on it. She couldn't, it would just make everything worse.

Stinger stopped playing with his blanket and was now starting to lean backwards. Sam started pushing herself off the floor and picked Stinger up before he could fall backwards. "What do you want to do today, Stinger? You want to hear how good ribs are again?"

Stinger giggled and pounded his fist on Sam's back. Sam smiled and sat on the rocking chair, facing Stinger towards her. "Ribs it is!" Sam exclaimed, bouncing him a little on her leg.

* * *

Sam watched Stinger begin to crawl around. She smiled, so proud of how well he was doing. Her hand rubbed her stomach. This baby would be doing the same thing eventually. She remembered from Health Class, the only class she paid attention in, that a baby would start crawling around the time they're six months. That meant she had been here for about five months.

Sam closed her eyes. She couldn't dwell on that. She couldn't think about the fact that her friends hadn't found her yet. That Freddie...he probably thought she still hated him.  
Stinger stopped and sat up. He looked at Sam before crying his lungs out. Sam groaned as she heaved herself up and picked him up. "What is it? You were fine just a few seconds ago!" Sam checked his diaper. She scrunched up her nose. The smell was horrible.

"Don't worry, I'm going to get you all changed and you'll be nice and clean." Sam said as she laid Stinger on the changing table. She opened the cabinet for a new diaper, but there was none. There was only wipes and baby food. She had run out of diapers.

Sam turned to look at the camera. "Hey, freak show! You forgot to give me new diapers! How do you expect me to change him when I don't even have any new diapers?"

Stinger continued crying and Sam groaned aloud. She went to him and took off his diaper, and placed a wipe under his bottom. "Just stay here. I'll get you a new one." Sam turned around and looked at the door. She hadn't tried opening it since she first got here. She knew Desmond would never be stupid enough to leave the door unlocked...unless he had been distracted. He forgot to fill the cabinet with diapers so maybe he was a bit distracted today.

Sam walked towards the door and grabbed the knob. She closed her eyes as she turned it, her heart pounding with anticipation. Her eyes widened when it heard a click and the door creaked open. This was impossible! Desmond always locked the door!

She opened the door some more and poked her head out the doorway. The hallways was empty, she couldn't hear anything that might mean Desmond was here. Her heart throbbed in her throat as she took a small step out, then another, and another, until she was walking at a steady pace. She came to a large room, with a couch and a small table. The living room. Right across from it was another table with two chairs, the dining room, and a small kitchen. She was in the main house.

Sam gasped when she saw the front door and a window. She could see outside! It was cloudy and sprinkling a little, but she didn't care! She could see outside! She ran to the door and tried the knob. She growled when she couldn't open it. Where would she have gone though? From the looks of it, she was in the middle of the woods. She might never find her way out of them.

She turned around and looked in the kitchen. A phone was hanging on the wall. She bit her lip. This was too easy. Something was going to go wrong, it always did. But there was still no sign of Desmond. Sam grabbed the phone. There was a dial tone. She dialed the first number that came to mind, closed her eyes and could only hope whatever luck she had come across would still stay.

* * *

He had been at work for a few hours and already he was annoyed at having to stare at the computer screen and being in his cubicle. A normal job for a normal person. No one would expect him to be capable of what he was really doing.

Desmond stared at the only picture he had on the desk. Mary Jo. Her beautiful blonde hair and deep blue eyes. Today was the fourteenth year anniversary.  
_  
Your fault._

Desmond cleared his throat and looked back to the computer screen. He had no work at the moment and couldn't stop the memory from filling his head.

* * *

"_Desmond, hurry! The baby is coming out!"_  
_  
Desmond grabbed Mary Jo's, his wife, bags. "Don't worry, honey. I'll get you to the hospital as soon as I can!" he threw open the front door to their cabin in the woods and ran to the car, ignoring the downpour of rain, and throwing everything in it. He went back up the porch and helped Mary Jo down the steps and into the car._  
_  
He started the car and got on the highway, headed towards the hospital. "How are you doing?" Desmond asked, looking at Mary Jo._

"_Fine, but could you please keep your eyes on the road! We don't need anything happening." Mary Jo said. She leaned her head back and let out a heavy sigh. "I just want some pain killers already."_  
_  
Desmond reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry. You'll be at the hospital in no time." he said, looking straight into her eyes._  
_  
Mary Jo smiled at him before looking back to the road. "Desmond, look out!"_  
_  
Desmond turned and saw a deer in the middle of the road. He turned the wheel, trying to avoid hitting it, but the tires squealed on the road and he soon lost control of the wheel._  
_  
Mary Jo screamed as the car slid off the road and headed towards the trees._  
_  
Desmond felt nothing, but he heard the car slam into something. The air bags exploded all around him. He closed his eyes and winced. He had banged his head against the glass. "Mary Jo?" he turned his head and looked at where his wife was supposed to be._  
_  
The air bag on her side had deflated, but that didn't mean she was all right. A large branch had broken in through the glass. It went right through Mary Jo's stomach, right where the baby was._  
_Mary Jo lifted her head, her face pale and blood dripping out of the side of her mouth. "Your fault." she choked out before her head dropped._

"_Mary Jo!" Desmond cried out. He unbuckled his seat belt and made his way out the car. He forced the door on Mary Jo's side open. He couldn't take her out of the car, she was trapped under the branch. "No, please Mary Jo, please live." he felt for a pulse, but couldn't find anything. She was gone and her last words to him were 'your fault.'_  
_  
Desmond would never learn that Mary Jo had been trying to say 'It isn't your fault.' She knew her husband and knew what something like this might do to his fragile mind._

_

* * *

_

Desmond shook his head and went back to the computer screen. In a few more hours, he'd go back to Sam. She was so precious, so wonderfully different.

As he was thinking about Sam, he remembered that he forgot to refill the cabinet with diapers. If Stinger had an accident-

Desmond jumped up in his seat. He had forgotten to lock the door! Considering who he was keeping, there was a possibility that she left. Desmond didn't care if he would get fired. He had to make sure she hadn't left the room at all. If she did, it would change _everything_. He'd have to finish her.

* * *

"So how were the ratings for this week?" Carly asked, taking a seat next to Freddie on the bar.

"Not the same, but they're getting there. People think Gibby's doing a good job." Freddie said.

"Really? They like me? That's awesome!" Gibby said as he stood next to Freddie.

"Read the latest comment."

"Um, this is from anonymous...Dear iCarly, I'm glad you're doing the webshows again. Gibby is the best replacement for Sam. I really hope you find her by the way. I think she's still alive and you guys will find her really soon. You're the iCarly gang! You have to find her! Anyways, great show tonight, can't wait for next week." Freddie turned to look at both Carly and Gibby.

Gibby was looking at the floor and Carly was looking sad again. "That's nice of him." Carly finally said.

Freddie gave a half-smile. "Yeah...there's something I have to install on the computer. I'll be back in a few." Freddie said as he hopped off the stool and headed upstairs. He went into the studio and went to the computer. He opened a file of pictures he had and started clicking through them. He stopped at one of him, Sam, and Carly. It had been taken about a month before she disappeared. Freddie could still remember how she looked like that night. Beautiful.

His phone started ringing, jostling him out of his thoughts. He didn't recognize the number. Usually when he got a number like that, he'd just reject it. Freddie sighed. What harm would there be if he just answered it this one time? Besides, if it was a telemarketer he could always just hang up on the person. "Hello?"

"_Freddie? Is that...is that really you?"_


	6. Everything Turns Around

A/N: Hey, everyone! I am back from my escapade in Mexico safe and sound. Best summer of my life so far. As promised, here is the next chapter. Longer than most because I was gone so long and everything needed to be in this chapter. I have redone this chapter so many times until this finally came out. I've re-read this about a hundred times and I think it's pretty good. At least in my opinion. I hope this didn't seemed rushed though, because that was definitely not my intention! Do the usual with this chapter, read it then review it. :)

* * *

Everything Turns Around

Freddie half paid attention to the voice on the other line. Gibby had come in through the elevators as soon as he answered.

"Hey, Freddie, we're going to Groovy Smoothie. You wanna' come?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm not really in the mood for smoothies." Freddie held the phone away from his mouth

Gibby shrugged his shoulders. "Your loss."

Freddie shook his head as Gibby went back down the elevators. "Sorry about that. Gibby came in asking if I wanted a smoothie. Anyways, what's going on, Melanie?" Freddie wondered why she was calling from a different number, but didn't ask. He was able to recognize her voice anyways.

The line was silent and Freddie thought Melanie might've hung up or lost connection. "Hello? Melanie, you still there?"

"_No, this isn't Melanie...It's me, Sam."_

Freddie swallowed hard and rubbed his face. "Please Melanie. Don't play around like that. It isn't funny." he had already been starting to move past everything that had happened.

"_But it's really me! Please Freddie, believe me. I need you to find where I am. Can't you do that with one of your computer thingy programs? I can't do this anymore. I wanna' go home, Freddie."_

Freddie's heart ached when he heard her sniffling on the other line. It couldn't be Sam. It just couldn't. Sam was gone. Like _really_ gone...wasn't she? Besides, she had made it very clear last time that she didn't ever want to speak to him again. Wouldn't she have called Carly or Spencer, or better the police first?

Freddie cleared his throat. It wouldn't hurt to track the call. He opened a software and started tracking the call. "I swear Melanie, if this is some kind of twisted joke..."

"_Would Melanie ever do something like that?"_

The logic finally broke through. This was really Sam. She was calling him and he was tracking her number to her very location! The screen said it was loading there was nothing he could do to make it go faster. "Okay, Sam, just hang on! I'm tracking the call. Just stay on the line as long as you can, please." in that quick moment, Freddie felt his heart being revived with hope.

He heard her sniffle some more. "_Okay."_

"Sam, I..." Freddie was going to apologize, but he didn't know why exactly. Maybe because it had taken them so long to find her. She didn't deserve that. The apology could wait though. "Are you okay?"

"_I'm good enough to be calling you."_

Freddie swallowed a lump in his throat as he tapped his fingers impatiently. "But you're sure you're fine?" Freddie understood what kind of man had taken Sam and that also meant he knew what might've happened to her.

"_Just...please find me."_

She didn't answer his question. Freddie could hear how weak she sounded. She sounded broken. "Stay on the line. The computer's still loading." he took a breath. "I'm going to find you. I promise."

Sam let out a shaky breath. "_Freddie...I'm...I wish I could do things-"_

Freddie could hear a door slam shut on Sam's line. "Sam? What was that?"

"_Freddie, I have to go!"_ Sam hissed.

"Wait! Don't hang up! The computer's still loading!"

"_I have to."_

"No Sam!"

The line went dead.

"Sam? Come on, Sam, answer me!" Freddie looked at his phone before slapping it down. The computer still hadn't finished loading. He didn't know if it would load right, now that Sam hung up and the connection lost.

The computer beeped, telling Freddie it was done loading. Freddie studied the screen. It was a map of Seattle with a red pinpoint just outside of the city limits in the woods. That's where Sam's call came from. He wrote the coordinates just as the red pinpoint disappeared and only the map was left.

Freddie grabbed his sweater and ran out of the empty Shay apartment, completely forgetting his computer and cell phone. He ran into his apartment, not having to answer any questions from his mother. She was gone for a week long conference and wouldn't be back for a couple of days.

He filled his sweater pockets with money for cab fare and fat cakes. Freddie was sure Sam was going to be hungry when he found her.

* * *

Sam spun around as soon as she hung up the phone and came face to face with Desmond. She hid the phone behind her back, hoping he hadn't seen the phone or heard her.

"Why aren't you in the room?" Desmond's voice was calm and that terrified Sam.

"You, um...I ran out of diapers for Stinger and I was looking for some since you left the door unlocked." Sam explained as best as she could.

"Really? Then what were you doing with the phone? Ordering diapers?" his voice was sarcastic, almost taunting her.

Sam swallowed. "I-"

Desmond back handed her, sending Sam to the floor and holding her jaw. "Do you realize what you've done?" he kicked her legs. "You've ruined everything!" his fist landed in her back. "You were so much better than everyone else and you pull a stunt like this?" he kicked her in the ribs, barely missing her stomach.

Desmond stared down at her, breathing heavily. Sam took this moment to catch her breath. He had hit her practically everywhere except for her stomach. As if he was on purpose barely missing it. Sam wanted to fight back, but she felt too weak. She had no energy. Even if she tired, she'd never be able to take him down. She used to be able to take down men three times her size, but she couldn't with Desmond. And it was because of the baby inside of her.

He yanked her up by her hair and made her stand. He looked straight into her eyes and Sam tried her best not to cower away. Desmond reached out and touched her cheek that was stained from the blood coming out from her brow. "It's a shame something as beautiful as you will go to waste." his hand ran down her face to her arm and rested on her stomach. Sam tried backing away, but he had an iron grip with his other hand on her wrist.

She closed her eyes as she felt him pinch her stomach before dragging her further into the house where the blue nursery was. This was the end. Sam knew she wasn't going to survive what was about to come to her. The only regret she had was she never had the chance to really apologize to Freddie.

* * *

"All right, kid. Here we are at the _coordinates_." the cab driver said to Freddie, using air quotes around the word coordinates.

Freddie ignored that action. He pulled out the exact amount of money and handed it to the man.

"You sure you want to be dropped off in the middle of the woods?" he asked, being serious this time.

"Positive." Freddie stepped out of the cab and stared at all the trees gleaming in the moonlight. He looked around as the cab drove off. He could barely make out what looked like a dirt road.

He started walking down the road, deeper into the forest. Freddie reached into his pocket for his phone, but couldn't find it. He forgot it at the Shay's. He kept walking for a few more minutes until he came up to a clearing. There was a small house in the middle of the clearing. A few lights were on, but there was no car in the driveway.

Freddie's heart began pounding faster. This was where Sam was supposed to be.

* * *

Desmond sat in his chair in front of the screens where the security camera showed what was being recorded. It had finally been done. Sam had been broken. Physically and emotionally. Desmond had decided to let her be for a few hours before he finished her off. He really was starting to feel regretful about what he was going to do. But she had turned on him and no one did that to Desmond.

He sipped some coffee from his cup, still watching. After he left her in the nursery, he had changed the locks. It would open from the hallway without a key, but it wouldn't budge on the nursery side. Once the door closed, it would lock automatically. It'd be useful for the next one he would bring in.

Something in the corner of the screen started moving. Desmond straightened and saw that it was the door knob that was turning. The door opened and a teenage guy walked in.

* * *

The knob started turning and the door opened. Carly and Spencer walked in.

"Freddie, we're back!" Carly called out as she and Spencer came in the apartment. "We brought you a smoothie too." Carly placed the extra smoothie on the coffee table.

"I think he went back home." Spencer said after there was no response from Freddie for a few seconds.

Carly heard Spencer while she climbed the stairs up to the iCarly studio. She walked in and didn't see Freddie. But his computer and phone were still there. Carly understood that sometimes Freddie would sometimes leave his computer there over night, but he never left his phone. Plus, he would never leave the computer on.

There was a map on the screen of his computer. Carly got closer and saw that the map was an area about a thirty minutes out of the city of Seattle.

Carly grabbed Freddie's phone and went back downstairs. Spencer was on the couch watching TV. "Are you sure you haven't seen Freddie here?" she asked.

"Absolutely positive. Why do you ask?"

"He left his phone here and his computer."

"But he leave his computer sometimes, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but never his phone. And he never leaves his computer on either." Carly pursed her lips as she tried not thinking about the worse case scenario. "I'm going to see if he went back to his place and just forgot his phone by accident." Carly said as she walked into the hallway.

She started knocking on Freddie's door. "Freddie? You here?"

No answer.

"Come on, Freddie. Are you there or not?

Still nothing.

Carly swallowed hard as she tried the knob. It was unlocked. Freddie always locked the apartment when his mom was out of town. "Freddie?"

The apartment was completely dark. Carly walked down the hallways to where Freddie's room was. The door was open. "Freddie, are you asleep?" she turned on the light, but his bed was made and he wasn't in his room.

Carly's heart dropped as she walked out and back into her apartment. "Freddie wasn't there." she told Spencer, her voice slightly quivering.

Spencer turned down the volume and sat up. "You're sure? He wasn't even in the restroom?"

"No, he wasn't in the restroom. And yes I'm sure. He never leaves his phone, Spencer. Never. There was a map on his computer screen. What if he took off to look for Sam?" her voice got quiet towards the end.

Spencer grabbed his phone and dialed a number. "Was that map still on the computer?"

"Yeah, but it's just an area. It isn't a specific spot."

"But it's something to go on. Keep that computer on. I'm calling Detective Percy right now."

* * *

Sam stayed in the furthest corner of the room, her legs pulled up as much as possible. Everything was hurting. She wiped her nose with the sleeve of her sweater and saw tiny blood drops. Her nose wasn't the only spot that was bleeding. A cut above her eye, several deep scratches on her arms and legs. She had bruises all over. The only place that Desmond seemed not to have hit was her stomach. It was as if he were purposely avoiding that spot.

"_I'm going to find you. I promise."  
_  
Sam closed her eyes as she remembered what Freddie had told her. She wished he had never said that. He put hope inside of her. She didn't want that hope because she knew the chances of him actually finding her were slim.

Stinger was softly cooing. Sam had managed to put him back in his crib once Desmond left the nursery. After that, she collapsed on the floor. She was too weak to get up anymore. She couldn't even if she wanted to. Everything was hurting and it would only hurt more if she stood, much less walk. She just wanted to sleep and forget everything that happened.

Any moment Desmond was supposed to come in. He was going to finish it. He was going to kill her then probably kill Stinger. There was nothing Sam could do about it. A tear slipped through her closed eyelids as this thought continued running around in her mind.

She could hear the door squeak open then silently shut. She pursed her lips, knowing that Desmond had come in. She was going to die and there was nothing she could do about it. A list of regrets came up in Sam's mind.

"Sam?"

She pursed her lips. Desmond sounded just like Freddie. But it couldn't be. Freddie might've promised, but it was a promise he couldn't keep.

"Sam."

He was calling her now and he still sounded like Freddie. Sam inhaled deeply before opening her eyes. Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw who it was. "Freddie?"

Freddie gave her a small half grin. "I promised I'd find you." he said as he knelt down in front of her. His eyes ran down her body, stopping at every, cut, scratch, and bruise. But they lingered on her stomach the longest.

Sam swallowed hard and placed a hand over her stomach. She saw the confusion and anger in his face. He had that on his face because she was pregnant. She knew she should've fought Desmond harder. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Freddie."

Freddie stared into her eyes. Those blue eyes he hadn't seen in the longest time. He reached over and pulled her into a hug.

Sam couldn't do it anymore. All those tears she had been bottling up finally came pouring out in quiet sobs.

Freddie closed his eyes as he smoothed down her nappy hair and holding her close. He didn't want to leave the hug. He was afraid if he let her go for a moment, she'd leave again. "You don't have anything to apologize for." he whispered. "We're leaving, Sam. I'm taking you back home."

Sam sniffled and heard Stinger's quiet coos. "I can't leave the baby."

"We'll take him too, but we need to leave now." Freddie said as he finally let go and looked at her.

Sam nodded her head and a ghost of a smile came on her face as Freddie helped up carefully. But all traces of the smile left when she saw the door opening again.

"How did you get here?" Desmond demanded. His voice was calm, but you could see the rage in his eyes.

Freddie spun around and stood in front of Sam. "Doesn't matter. We're leaving."

Desmond walked towards them. "You can't take her or the baby."

Freddie stared up at this man. This sick man who had taken Sam away from him. The anger in his blood boiled and he acted on impulse. He punched Desmond with as much force as he could. Desmond's head jerked to the side, but he quickly recovered, grabbed Freddie by his collar and kneed him in the stomach.

"No! Leave him alone!" Sam cried as Freddie tumbled to the ground and tried to catch his breath.

Desmond narrowed his eyes at Sam. "You brought this upon yourself." he said as he grabbed Freddie and dragged him to the other side of the room where Stinger's crib was. He dropped him hard, making Freddie loose all the oxygen in him again.

Desmond didn't care though. He took a few steps back and stood a few feet away from Sam. He pulled out a gun from his pocket. "You really don't have any idea how much I don't want to do this, but I have to. You really aren't good enough."

Freddie saw Sam standing in frozen shock, covering her stomach with both her hands. Then he saw Desmond with the gun pointing at Sam. He didn't think things through, or about any of the consequences as he pushed himself up. "Sam, get down!" he yelled as he ran towards her and pushed her to the floor.

There was a loud bang from the gun and Stinger began crying.

* * *

Carly sat on the couch, tapping her foot impatiently. Detective Percy was upstairs with Spencer checking out Freddie's computer. She was ignoring the fact that Freddie's phone was vibrating every two minutes.

The two men started walking downstairs. Carly turned once she heard them. "So? Do you think you can find them?"

Detective Percy sighed. "That area is a pretty big expanse of woods. We're going to have to get a search team in there, but it could take days for us to find them."

"You can't narrow it down?"

Percy shook his head. "This is the best we can do."

Spencer's phone began ringing and he answered. "Hello?"

"_Where's Freddie? I demand to know where he is! He isn't answering any of my phone calls and I'm getting worried!"_

"Whoa, Mrs. Benson! Calm down for a minute-"

"_No! Not until someone tells me where my Freddikins is!"_

"Um, Mrs. Benson..." Spencer looked to Detective Percy for some help, but he was on the phone doing business of his own. "Freddie kind of...took off...and without his phone. The police are looking for him right now."

"_What? Freddie's gone! And he left his phone?1 Do they have any idea where to look?"_

"Sort of...well, not really..."

Mrs. Benson was quiet for a moment. "_I put a chip on all his shoes a few weeks after Sam disappeared." _she admitted.

"Wait, I thought you put a chip in his head when he was like two?"

"_Yes, but he found out about that and had it removed. But I can still track his location with the new chip. I'm going to need a few minutes, but I'll call right back with __the location."_

Spencer hung up the phone and turned to Detective Percy just as Percy ended his call. "Freddie's mom chipped him! She's getting the exact location right now!"

* * *

"Come on, Freddie. Please open your eyes."

Freddie could hear Sam calling him. It sounded as if she was crying. He wanted to open his eyes, but they were so heavy. His side hurt unbearably.

"Don't die on me."

His hand twitched a little before it started moving to his side. Freddie touched something soft, but was drenched with something wet.

"Freddie?"

His eyes finally flickered open. Sam was leaning above him. Dry tears were on her cheeks. Her let wrist looked swollen. But she was alive. Freddie tried sitting up, but couldn't. His side hurt too much. "What happened? How long was I out?" his voice came out hoarsely.

"Desmond shot you. You pushed me out of the way and the bullet hit you in the stomach. Then Desmond just took off. You've been out for a while, maybe an hour?" Sam explained. Her face bunched up in pain from recalling the memory.

Freddie's blood coming out of him. It was all over the floor. A permanent stain. She pushed those thoughts away. But he had saved her life. If he hadn't pushed her, she would be dead. That didn't mean she didn't get out without a casualty. She had landed awkwardly on her wrist. It looked fractured at the least. And her baby. Her stomach had started hurting. She didn't know if that was normal or something might've happened to it.

Freddie closed his eyes and let his head rest on the floor. He had looked around a little and saw that they were still in the nursery. He coughed weakly. "How bad is it?"

Sam swallowed hard. "Could've been worse. But you had fat cakes in your pocket and they made the bullet slow down some."

Freddie smiled, but it turned into a grimace. "Those were for you. Thought you..." he coughed, feeling all the oxygen leaving him. "might be hungry."

"Stop wasting your energy talking." Sam looked up at the closed door. She had already tried opening it, but it was locked. "Do you have your phone?"

Freddie shook his head and opened his eyes a little. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

Sam pursed her lips and held in more tears. "I know."

Freddie closed his eyes again and felt everything slowly become numb.

"Freddie, stay with me." Sam said as she gently slapped Freddie's face with her good hand. "Don't go." she said with her voice quaking.

Freddie groaned, but kept his eyes close. "I'm sorry, Sam." he mumbled.

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Open your eyes, then tell me you're sorry." Sam said, holding in more tears.

Freddie didn't respond.

Sam felt his neck for a pulse. She couldn't find one. Tears were starting to fall more. "Freddie? No. No, you can't do this to me!"

The door swung open and a man came in with a loaded gun, ready to point at any threat.


	7. Visiting Hours

A/N: I started school this week and I'm in my senior year, trying to finish by December. I'm also trying to figure out which college and I'm looking for a job, so things might get a little bit stressed for me. But I'm going to do my best to keep updating every week!

I think this chapter is kind of slow. Sorry about that, but every story has their slow chapters that lead up to a huge bang! That's going to be the same with this story. Thanks everyone for all the reviews and enjoy this new chapter! Leave reviews, thoughts, and nice things :)

* * *

Visiting Hours

Sam let out a shuddering breath as she stared at the man who had just come in, but her eyes were really looking at his gun. The large gun he had pointed at her. "I'm Samantha." she whispered.

The man poked his head out the door. "She's in here!" he looked again and saw Freddie. "We're going to need paramedics in here!" he called out. He put his gun back in it's holster and bent down. "I'm Detective Percy. You're safe now. We're going to take you to the hospital." Percy said as he reached out his hand for her to grab.

Sam didn't take the offered hand. "But Freddie-"

Three paramedics came in the room followed by two other officers. Sam could hear footsteps in the house and knew there were more officers throughout the whole place.

"Ma'am we're going to need you to move." one of the paramedics said to her.

Sam shook her head. "I'm not leaving him."

An officer came behind her and pulled her up.

"No! Let me go! Let me be with him!" she cried as she struggled vainly against the officer. Sam just made everything hurt even more.

"I can't find a pulse on him. Do we need to call the time of death?"

Sam closed her eyes and let out a choked sob as the officer took her outside and placed her in an ambulance.

A paramedic put her arm in a temporary wrap and quickly checked out her cuts and bruises. Sam hated being poked and prodded, but she hated even more not knowing if Freddie was still alive.

* * *

Carly and Spencer had been in the waiting room for at least two hours. Detective Percy had called and told them Freddie and Sam were going to be here. But that was all the news they had been given.

"Carly, please sit down. You're making _me_ nervous." Spencer said from his seat in the waiting room.

Carly stopped her pacing for a quick second. "I can't help it! I really want to see Sam and Freddie right now, but I can't because they're examining Sam and who knows what happened to Freddie!"

Spencer stood up and made Carly stop pacing. "You need to calm down. You're going to have an asthma attack if you keep hyperventilating like this."

Carly huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine," she grumbled as she took a seat. "Where's Mrs. Benson and Ms. Puckett?"

"I called Mrs. Benson, and she's on a bus ride home. I called Sam's mom, but I think her phone is out of range since it went straight to voice-mail. Melanie's on her way and should be here in about thirty minutes."

Carly closed her eyes and slouched in her chair. She just wanted to be sure her friends were okay.

She stayed in her seat for a few minutes until Detective Percy came into the waiting room accompanied by a nurse. "Spencer, Carly, this is Nurse Sherrie. She's looking over Sam and Freddie right now."

"How are they? They're fine, right?" Carly questioned, standing up from her seat.

Percy pursed his lips. "Nurse Sherrie, why don't you tell them."

Sherrie nodded her head. "Samantha-"

"Sam." Carly corrected.

Sherrie ignored Carly and continued. "Came in with a few bruised ribs, a broken wrist, a cut on her brow, and a small sprain on her ankle. I don't know if you were aware of this, but she's also pregnant. Five months pregnant."

Carly paled. "Pregnant?"

"You have to understand that the man that did this-" Detective Percy started.

"Did you even catch the guy that did this?" Carly yelled, standing up from her chair. She didn't want to understand anything about that man.

"Carly-" Spencer was about to tell her to calm down, but she sent him a death look.

"Carly, let Sherrie finish explaining everything then we'll move on to that." Percy said firmly.

Carly didn't start arguing so Sherrie continued. "Sam's going to have to be off her ankle for a few days, her arm is going to have to be in a cast for a few months and she's going to need stitches for the cut on her brow."

"And what about Freddie? Why was he brought to the hospital?" Carly asked.

"Freddie was shot in his lower abdomen. Considering he has a medical condition that causes him to bleed excessively, he lost a substantial amount of blood. He's going through an emergency blood transfusion right now. Afterward, he's going straight into surgery."

"But he'll be all right?"

Sherrie bit her lip. "He barely had a pulse when the paramedics arrived on scene. They lost him for a few seconds on the way to the hospital, but were able to revive him. It's unclear if there's going to be any long-term damage."

Carly sat down and her eyes filled with tears. She leaned on Spencer's shoulder. This couldn't be happening.

"What about the guy that took Sam?" Spencer asked as he wrapped an arm loosely around Carly.

"We figured out who he is. Desmond Halavaty. I've got a team working on his background right now."

"Is he in custody?"

Percy took a deep breath. "No. He was no where near the site when we got there. We have roadblocks at every exit out of Seattle, searches going on in all the surrounding cities, and a statewide alert. There's no way he could've gotten far. We'll catch him."

Percy gave Sherrie a small nod. "I need to get back to the police station. I'll be back to ask Sam a few questions later." he said before waving and walking out the door.

Sherrie watched Percy walk out then turned to Spencer and Carly. She gave them a pitying smile. "Visiting hours are over right now. But...I think I could let you two see Sam."

Carly wiped her eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it." she said as she started walking.

Spencer and Carly followed her down the hallway until she stopped at a closed door. "She's resting right now, so try not to be too loud." Sherrie opened the door and let Carly and Spencer in, following after them to check on some of the machines.

Sam was lying on her back with her eyes closed. Her arm, which had been put in a purple cast, was draped over her swollen stomach. She looked so much smaller and fragile. Bruises were running up her arms and her forehead had a few stitches.

Carly breathed in shakily. It had been five months since Carly had seen Sam, but Carly didn't want to see her friend battered like this. And her stomach giving all the evidence away about her pregnancy. Carly didn't want Sam to be pregnant either.

Spencer noticed a small bassinet with a baby in it. "Who's that?" he asked softly to Sherrie.

Sherrie gave a small smile. "Sam said his name is Micah Sting, but she calls him Stinger for short. He's the child that Sam was taking care of."

Spencer grinned as he reached down and picked up Stinger. "He is the cutest baby ever!" he exclaimed, but still using a soft tone.

Carly smiled, looking at Sam then to Stinger. "It does sound like a name Sam would chose."

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Carly got up to answer it since Spencer was asleep. She opened the door and smiled. "Melanie, you made it. Sherrie let you in?" she said as she gave her a hug.

"I think that was her name." Melanie hugged Carly back, but was looking over her shoulder. "Is that really Sam?"

"Yeah, but she's still sleeping."

Melanie bit her lip as she came in and set her purse and coat down. She never thought that she would see Sam in a hospital like this. Her pregnant stomach didn't go without notice either. "Oh Sam." Melanie whispered as she sat down.

"The doctor's say that she should be fine with rest. Her baby's fine too. Oh and you need to met Stinger." Carly grabbed Stinger and put him in Melanie's arms. "Sherrie said that Sam was taking care of him the whole time. She named him Micah Sting, but calls him Stinger."

Melanie smiled as she looked down at Stinger. "At least she had this little guy with her." Melanie looked back up at Carly. "I heard about Freddie...do you know if he's going to be all right?"

Carly bit her lip before shaking her head. "Sherrie said she'd tell us if there's anything new. So far we haven't heard anything."

The two girls sat in silence, the only sound was Spencer's light snoring and the heart monitor on Sam. Carly spoke again after a few minutes. "Where's your mom?"

Melanie grimaced. "Sweden."

"What? Why did she go to Sweden?" Carly had a hard time controlling her surprised voice.

"I don't know. She told me the night before the plane left that she was going to Sweden for a few months. That was a few weeks ago. I sent her an e-mail about what just happened, but I don't know when she'll get it." Melanie took a deep breath. "I don't think she'll be here when Sam wakes up."

* * *

"Have you called Mrs. Benson again?"

"Yeah, but she didn't pick up. She probably fell asleep on the bus."

"Where was she?"

"Some weird parenting conference."

Sam recognized those voices immediately, even though it had been such a long time since she heard anyone except for Stinger or Desmond. She shifted a little and turned her head to look at them. Melanie, Carly and Spencer. She hadn't seen them in what felt like forever.

The three heard the bed squeaking and saw Sam looking at them through droopy eyes. Carly and Melanie both jumped up with a huge smiles on their faces. Melanie ran up to Sam and gave her a long hug. "Sam! You're awake! We were all so worried about you! I thought I'd never see you again." Melanie started crying out of joy.

Sam closed her eyes, feeling the tears build up. "I thought the same thing too." she whispered. She sniffled. "I missed you guys so much."

"We missed you too!" Carly said while crying and hugging Sam.

Carly let go and let Spencer have a turn at hugging her. "Glad to have you back Sam."

Sam pursed her lips and looked at them. A few tears had managed to fall from her eyes. She was so glad to see them, Melanie, her sister, Carly, her best friend, and Spencer, her unofficially adopted big brother. But her mind wouldn't let her be happy until she knew what happened to Freddie. She remembered hearing the EMT saying he couldn't find a pulse. They were going to call the time of death. "Is Freddie still...alive?"

Carly bit her lip. "Yeah...he's alive, Sam."

"But is he okay?"

Carly continued biting her lip and shared a quick look with Carly and Spencer. "The doctors still don't know, Sam." Carly wiped a tear away.

Sam rested her head against the pillow again. She didn't want to think about what Carly had just told her. Freddie was going to be fine, end of story. "Where's my mom?" Sam asked, quickly changing subjects.

"Sweden." Melanie knew Sam wasn't going to like the news.

Sam inhaled sharply. "Sweden? Why did you let her go?"

"She's a grown woman! Mom can handle herself, I'm sure."

Sam closed her eyes and could only think of all the possible situations her mom might be in. "But you don't understand. You don't have to live with her. Mom needs restrictions."

"What's the worse she could do?"

"Melanie!" Sam exclaimed. "Do you not remember how Mom is?" Sam yelled.

Stinger let out a cry from his bassinet and Sam sat up, completely forgetting about her mom. "Stinger's here?"

Carly smiled as she picked up the crying baby and put him in Sam's lap. She was glad something interrupted the sister's arguing. "Yup. Sherrie, your nurse, introduced us to him."

"And he has the most coolest name ever! Don't you little guy?" Spencer exclaimed as he gently shook Stinger's leg.

Sam smiled. Stinger's cries had softened. Sam assumed he might be hungry. "Look Stinger. That's your Aunt Carly, Aunt Melanie, and Uncle Spencer." Sam rubbed her stomach. "And pretty soon you'll have a little sister." she whispered to Stinger.

Spencer heard her though. Spencer knew that Sam must've bonded so much with Sitnger and with the baby inside her, but he had no idea if she would be able to keep either of them. He looked at Carly, Melanie, and Sam and knew they weren't thinking about that possibility.

* * *

Spencer was starting to fall asleep while Melanie, Carly, and Sam sat on the bed, talking and catching up. He noticed that Sam wasn't talking about anything that happened to her though. She didn't say one word about her experience and it didn't seem like she was going to anytime soon. Stinger was still in Sam's lap, enjoying a toy that Spencer had bought in the hospital store.

Spencer's phone buzzed and he jostled awake. He grabbed his phone and answered it. "Hello?" he answered with sleep in his voice.

"_I'm at the hospital and if I don't see my son right now, I am going to write a very strongly worded letter to the person in charge!"_

Spencer held the phone away from his mouth as Mrs. Benson yelled into the phone. "Where exactly are you in the hospital?"

"_I'm in the waiting room, but they won't let me come in. They say that visiting hours are over and I'll have to come back in a few hours. I refuse to wait a few more hours! I spent the entire night on a bus just to see my son! I will not have some stupid rule about visiting hours hold me back!"_

"I'll be there in a minute. Just...try not to cause any chaos." Spencer quickly hung up the phone before she could yell at him more. He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. The sun was starting to slowly come up. It was now Friday.

"Who was it?" Carly asked.

"Mrs. Benson. She's here. I'm going to have to go get her. I'll be right back."

"Don't let her come in." Sam quickly said before he could walk out the door.

Spencer frowned. "As in to see you?"

Sam nodded her head.

Spencer didn't question her as he walked out of the room and headed back to the waiting room. There was Mrs. Benson arguing with the secretary there.

"I need to see my son right now!"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but visiting hours are over. Now I'm going to have to call security if you don't take a step back."

"Mrs. Benson! There you are!" Spencer said, walking up to her and hopefully saving her from an experience with security. He turned to the secretary. "Hey there. I'm Spencer." he said with a flirtatious smile. "Listen, Sherrie, one of the nurses here, let me, my little sister and her friend in to see our friend, Sam Puckett, even though it's past visiting hours. Her son, Freddie Benson, who is also one of our friends, is here too. Do you think you might let her through?"

The secretary chewed the inside of her cheek. "Let me check what room number." she said before turning back to her computer.

"Thank you." Mrs. Benson snapped. It earned a dirty look from the secretary.

"I'm sorry, but you really can't go see your son right now." the secretary said. She was about to say something else, but Mrs. Benson interrupted her.

"And why not? I need to see him!"

"You can't see him right now because he's in surgery at this moment."

Mrs. Benson paled. "Is he all right?" she whispered.

"I don't know. The results haven't come in yet. If you'd like, you could go with Mr. Spencer to see Sam."

"Uh, I don't think that'd be-" Spencer started, but was interrupted.

"Okay. I'll do that instead. What room?" she asked, turning to Spencer.

Spencer pursed his lip. "Um...down this way." Spencer said as he started leading her. He tried to think of anything to tell her, remembering what Sam had asked him to do. "Are you sure you want to see Sam? Wouldn't you just rather wait until Freddie comes out?"

Mrs. Benson shook her head. "I'd like to see Sam. It's been a while since I've seen her too, you know." they stopped at the closed door to Sam's room. "But I'd like to talk to her alone first."

"I don't think Sam wants you to do that, though."

"I'm aware of that, but I need to."

Spencer thought it over before giving into what Mrs. Benson said. He opened the door and let her in. "Carly, Melanie, could you guys come here?"

Sam saw Mrs. Benson at the entrance and grabbed hold of Carly's wrist."Please don't leave me with her." she whispered.

"I have to. Spencer's calling me." Carly whispered back. "She's not going to bite you."

"You don't know that for sure..."

"Don't worry Sam. We'll be right outside. She's just going to talk to you." Melanie reassured as she followed Carly into the hallway with Spencer.

Mrs. Benson closed the door. She cleared her throat before sitting in the chair by Sam's bed. "How are you doing?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders as she started fiddling with the blanket.

"That's a cute baby. What's his name?"

"Micah Sting 'Stinger'. But you can call him Micah." Sam had a feeling Mrs. Benson would prefer the more normal name over the awesome one.

"May I hold him?"

Sam looked up at Mrs. Benson for the first time since she came in. She slowly nodded her head and let Mrs. Benson grab Stinger.

"He has a wonderful name." Mrs. Benson said as she stood him up on her knees.

Sam showed a small trace of a smile. "That's what everyone's telling me."

"Reminds me of the lead singer from a band called The Police. They called him Sting too. I had such a huge crush on him in high school." Mrs. Benson gushed.

Sam had to make sure she was actually talking to Mrs. Benson, Freddie's mom. The lady who belonged in a psych ward.

Mrs. Benson laid Stinger down in the bassinet. "Sam, I'd like to talk to you about what happened earlier. With you and Freddie."

Sam swallowed and looked away. Here it comes. She remembered what Carly had told her about Mrs. Benson that day she almost got run over by the taco truck. Mrs. Benson blamed Carly, said that it was supposed to be Carly and not her son. "I know what your going to say, Mrs. Benson. Freddie shouldn't have pushed me out of the way like that. It was supposed to be me."

Mrs. Benson frowned. "I was _not_ going to say that Sam and I don't want you to think that either. Do you understand? Yes, I do wish that Freddie hadn't been shot, but he was and there's nothing I nor anyone else can do to change that."

Sam looked up at her. "You really mean that?"

"Yes. When Freddie saved Carly from that taco truck, he believed Carly was worth saving. Don't you think he'd believe you're worth it even more? You are special to him. Even before Freddie knew it, you were special to him and still are."

Sam looked away again. She put her hand on her stomach. She didn't think she was worth anything anymore. And she definitely wasn't special. Not after she figured out she was pregnant with a monster's baby. Sam started crying a little. She started feeling even worse when she remembered her mom's infamous last words to her. Freddie was settling for second best.

"What are you going to do about your baby?"

Sam pursed her lips as she held her stomach a little tighter. She hadn't thought about that at all. "I don't know."

Mrs. Benson gave Sam a sad smile and patted her hand. "You'll figure it out in time. Everything will be okay, Sam. Trust me." she stood up. "I'm going to see what I can find out about Freddie. I'll let you know right away if there's something new." Mrs. Benson said as she walked out of the room.

Carly and Spencer walked back inside. Melanie had gone to the cafeteria to see what breakfast was going to be. "Are you okay? Did she say anything rude?" Carly immediately asked when she saw Sam drying her eyes.

Sam quickly shook her head. "No, nothing like that."

"So then what did she say?"

Sam turned away and looked out the window. "That everything was going to be okay."

* * *

He looked at his dyed hair in the dirty mirror in the motel. His once brown hair was now a light orange. The contacts he had purchased at the costume store hid his green eyes and gave him gray ones. He even added a small scar on his right cheek for dramatic effect.

"...high alert on this man, Desmond Halavaty."

Desmond stepped out of the bathroom and looked at the TV screen. A photo of him was enlarged on the TV screen.

"If anyone has seen this man or has any information, please dial the hotline below." the news anchor said.

Desmond grabbed the remote and was about to turn it off, but something else caught his attention.

"In other news tonight, the young web-star from iCarly, Samantha Puckett, has been returned to her friends and family. Unconfirmed reports are coming in that technical producer of iCarly, Freddie Benson, was the first to find her with the police not far behind. Freddie Benson was sent to the hospital after a gun wound to his lower abdomen. Reports are unconfirmed as to whether the gun shot proved fatal. Tired of drinking too much coffee in the morning, but can't shake the habit? New studies show that-"

Desmond shut the TV off. So they did get away. The police came and took both of them to the hospital. He honestly didn't care if Freddie lived, but Sam was a different story. She would be discharged from the hospital soon and she would still be pregnant. Maybe Desmond wasn't ready to leave Washington yet. No, he still had unfinished business in Seattle.


	8. Hearts and Babies

A/N: So...I really hope you guys like this new chapter! Sorry it kind of took longer than usual, but of course it's because of school. That and I came up with a new story idea for iCarly that's been running around like crazy in my head so I had to write it out and ideas just keep coming to me for that story that I kind of forgot about this one for a few days...But don't worry! This story won't become a dead one. I'm actually thinking about posting up the new story I've been working on, but I might hold off a while, just to be sure I won't run into a dead end with it.

Please read and review! Oh and I have a proposition for you readers. If I could get 15 reviews for this chapter I'll post the next chapter Wednesday evening! But if not I'll just post it on the weekend. Aside from that, enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

Hearts and Babies

Sherrie knocked softly on the door. It opened and she saw Spencer there. Carly was sitting with Sam on the bed talking and Melanie was in a chair snoozing. Spencer was playing a game on his phone and Mrs. Benson was beginning to fall asleep, but still awake. Sherrie cleared her throat. "I um...I have some news about Freddie."

Mrs. Benson stood up quickly, and traces of sleep gone. "Is he going to be all right? Were they able to get the bullet out of him?"

Sherrie sighed. She hardly had to deliver bad news, but here she was, doing it to this make-shift family. They were special, that's why she asked the doctor to let her deliver the news. "The bullet would've gone straight through Freddie if he hadn't had those fat cakes in his pockets. We would be in a worse situation, but that doesn't mean the situation still isn't bad." Sherrie took a deep breath. "The bullet is lodged in him at a precarious angle. If the surgeons tried to get it out, it could possibly bring permanent harm or even kill him."

Mrs. Benson grabbed on to the railing of Sam's bed. "Is he awake?"

Sherrie did her best not to grimace. "While they were operating, Freddie slipped into a coma."

Mrs. Benson would've collapsed if Spencer hadn't caught her and lead her to a chair.

"The doctor's aren't sure when he'll wake up, or if he will. For all they know he could slip into a vegetative state." Sherrie gave them her best sympathetic smile. "I'm really sorry." she said before walking out of the room.

Carly looked at Sam and could see the emotionless stare on her face as she looked up at the ceiling. But Carly could also make out the tears that were building in Sam's eyes.

* * *

  
The weekend was gone, it was now Monday. Melanie, Carly, and Spencer had to start abiding by the visiting hours and leave when they were told. Sherrie couldn't do anything about it. Gifts and cards flooded Sam's room. Gibby came and brought Guppy with him. Detective Percy came by to see how she was doing, but mainly to question her. Mrs. Benson dropped in for a little bit too. From what she heard from Carly, there were even a few reporters trying to get an interview with her. Almost half her family had called her, even some of her cousins from prison. But there was nothing from Terri.

At the moment, Sam was alone. Just her and Stinger. Melanie had to go back to her boarding school and Carly had classes today as well. Spencer was working on some sculpture that needed to get done before the deadline and Mrs. Benson was working too.

Sam wanted to get up and see Freddie, but she still felt so weak, plus her ankle was still hurting. She hadn't even realized it was sprained during the whole incident. Sam just couldn't stand being alone, even though she should've been used to it, considering all things. Even if she did get up, though, Sherrie would send her right back to her room.

She sat up and pulled Stinger into her lap and starting flipping through the channels on TV. It was the middle of the day and nothing good was on. Just soap dramas, news, and boring talk shows. Sam needed to hear something besides silence. It kept her mind from thinking too much.

"If this hospital had good cable, we'd watch the meat channel. But of course, they don't. They had to settle for the cheapest cable." Sam said to Stinger.

Stinger gave Sam a blank look as he started playing with his toy again.

Sam turned down the volume. "One day Stinger, I'm going to take you to some electronic store where they have a bunch of TV's lined up and turned on. Then we'll put on the meat channel and we can watch it there with all the TV's on that channel. It'll be the experience of a lifetime." Sam said as she tickled his bare foot.

Someone knocked on the door before coming in. A man and a woman, wearing professional clothing, stood in the doorway. "Samantha Puckett?" said the man.

"Who wants to know?" she immediately questioned.

"I'm Tom and this is Ingrid. We're from CPS." said the tallest of the two.

Sam instinctively held Stinger tighter and closer. "What are you here for?"

"Micah Sting. Since he has no family that we've been able to track down, we're going to have to put into the foster system." Ingrid answered.

"What? You can't do that! You can't take Stinger away from me! _I'm _his family!"

"I'm sorry Samantha, but according to the law-"

"I don't care what the law says! You're not going to take Stinger!"

"You have no legal right to him. He immediately belongs to the state since his father is unfit to care for him, and there are no other living relatives."

"No! He's mine. Micah Sting is my child!" Sam could feel tears welling up, but she wasn't going to cry. She was never going to cry in front of anyone. Maybe Carly, but that was it.

The door opened and Detective Percy came in. "What is going on here?" he yelled, causing everyone to look at him.

"Samantha is refusing to give Micah Sting to us. We're going to have to call the police, or use force."

"Well I'm the police. You two go outside. Give me a minute here."

Tom and Ingrid walked out, leaving Sam with Detective Percy. She was holing Stinger and showed no sign of letting him go. "I can't and I won't give him up." Sam said firmly.

"Did a deputy come by yesterday or the day before and tell you CPS was coming for Stinger?"

Sam shook her head.

Detective Percy sighed. "Someone's getting fired tonight." he grumbled to himself. "Sam...there are laws in this country...you can't have a child that you don't have legal custody over. Especially since you're a minor. Stinger doesn't have any living relatives aside from Desmond, which I can assure you he'll never give him custody. He's going to have to go into the foster care system until someone adopts him."

"Can't I adopt him?"

"Again, you're a minor."

"What about my mom? What if she adopted him?"

"Sam, I did a check on you once you were reported missing. I can tell you right off the bat your mom will be denied custody. She might not even want to adopt him."

Sam looked down at Stinger. He was still playing with the toy, oblivious to what was going on. "I can't let him go. I just can't." she whispered.

"You're going to have to." Percy stood up and walked towards Sam. "I'll make sure he's put into a good home with two loving parents. Give me Stinger."

Sam couldn't hold back her tears as she kissed Stinger's forehead. "I love you Micah Sting. Always know that. You're better than meat, and that's saying a lot." Sam said softly through tears.

Detective Percy reached down and carefully took Stinger away from Sam. "I was going to ask a few more questions today, but I'll just come by tomorrow."

Sam didn't reply as she turned her head and stared out the window. The tears were still coming down. They took away her Stinger. Sam knew she shouldn't have gotten so attached in the beginning. She should've just ignored Stinger when she first heard him crying in that blue nursery.

* * *

  
Carly had come to visit Sam right after school. Sam didn't say anything. Carly tried talking to her, but got nothing. She asked where Stinger was and Sam started crying a little. Carly still didn't know that they took Stinger away from her.

"Sherrie told me you were going to have your first sonogram tomorrow. That's exciting, isn't it?"

Sam pursed her lips. She didn't want to think about the sonogram. It was just going to make her think of Stinger. And of Desmond. Sam let out a shaky breath. "Carly, I kind of want to be alone right now."

"You sure?" Carly didn't want to leave her friend when she might need her the most.

"Yeah...I'll be fine."

Carly nodded her head. "Okay...send me a text or something when you want me over."

Sam waved bye as Carly walked out of the room with her stuff. She waited a few more minutes before she swung her legs over the side and stood up. She couldn't take being in that bed anymore and not being able to do anything. She unplugged herself from the heart monitor and took the IV stand with her as she walked out of her room and down the hallway to ICU. She didn't see Sherrie out in the hallway which was a good thing. All the employees she passed by just thought that she was allowed to walk around the hospital for some exercise.

Sam had overheard Mrs. Benson tell Spencer where Freddie's room was and she remembered what she said. Room 193. Now she was standing in front of Freddie's room. She took a deep breath before opening the door and coming in. She inhaled sharply when she saw Freddie in the dim lighting of the hospital.

He looked horrible. His face was nearly white and he had a few small bruises on his arms that were starting to turn yellow. But the worse thing was all the machines that surrounded him. Especially the heart monitor and its slow beat.

There was a chair beside his bed and Sam took a seat there. She rested her bandaged arm on the side of his bed. "I can't believe you. That was such an idiot move." Sam whispered as she fought off tears. "You weren't supposed to be there. Why didn't you just call the police first? Why didn't I call the police first?"

Sam shut her eyes and a few tears came out. She had been crying a lot more lately and she hated it. Stupid pregnancy hormones. "I'm so sorry, Freddie. I'm sorry I told you all those things back in October. I'm sorry I called you and put your in danger. I'm sorry you were shot. I'm sorry for everything." Sam whispered. "When are you going to wake up? They took Stinger away from me and now I have no one. Carly's there, but she doesn't know what to do. She doesn't even know Stinger's gone..." Sam sniffled. "I really need you, Freddie."

With her working hand, Sam squeezed Freddie's hand, hoping for some kind of response. Nothing. Sam roughly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "Please don't die on me." Sam told Freddie before standing up and walking out of the room. If she would've stayed seconds longer, she would've seen the fingers from his hand that she grabbed flexing.

* * *

  
"Are you ready to see your baby Sam?" the doctor asked as she put on surgical gloves.

Sam bit her lip and looked at the closed door. Spencer and Carly were outside waiting for her. "Um...sure." she said softly.

"Okay, I'm going to need you to lift up your shirt a little and I'm going to put on some gel. It'll be kind of cold."

Sam was glad this doctor was a lady. Her name was Jane actually. Sam slowly lifted her shirt the hospital had give to her. She laid her head back on the cushion and waited.

Jane squeezed some of the gel, eliciting a soft gasp from Sam. She grabbed the remote to the sonogram machine and rubbed it across Sam's belly.

Sam lifted her head and stared at the screen. All she could see was static on the screen. A heartbeat wasn't registering either. "Where is it?"

Jane hid a frown. "I'm still looking for it. It's got to be in there somewhere."

Jane continued rubbing the remote for almost a minute and still couldn't find the baby. Sam laid her head back. This couldn't be happening. "Have you felt your baby move at all during your pregnancy?"

"No...at least I don't think so." Sam said cautiously. She didn't even know if she would recognize the feeling when the baby started to move. Maybe something really did happen to the baby...

_Thump...thump-thump...thump-thump..._

Sam looked back at the screen and saw it. The baby. Sam couldn't help a few tears coming out.

Jane smiled at the reaction, hoping Sam was crying out of joy. "There's the head, the little arms and legs and...oh, would you like to know the sex?"

Sam swallowed hard and shook her head. "No. I'll find out when she's born." Sam was determined that this baby was going to be a girl.

"Oh how cute! If you look close enough, you can see the baby sucking its thumb."

Sam smiled for the first time while looking at the baby from the sonogram. It just made everything real. She was going to have a baby. And it was going to be her baby, not Desmond's. Maybe that would make the difference.

"Do you want your friends to come in and see?"

Sam thought this over. She wasn't ready for what they were going to say. Their opinions on what she should do. "No...I'd rather they didn't come in." she just wanted to live in this moment. Pretend she was happily married to the man of her dreams and pregnant with their first child. She ignored the fact that when she thought of the man of her dreams, Freddie came into her mind and no one else. She had to let him go, just like her mom said. Just like she had to let Stinger go.

* * *

  
Sam slowly set her feet on the hospital tile. It was about two in the morning and she couldn't sleep. Not after seeing her baby. It was just making her think even more.

She grabbed the IV and headed to the ICU wing. Sherrie didn't have this shift, so Sam was good. She walked up to the room number she had memorized and opened the door. Freddie was still in the same position she had left him in. Of course he wasn't going to move. The doctors didn't even know if he was going to wake up or go into a vegetable state.

Sam sat down in the chair Mrs. Benson used and grabbed Freddie's hand. "I can't sleep. My mind's thinking too much...I can't turn off my thoughts like I used to." Sam said. "I saw my baby today. I hope it's a girl. I don't want it to be a boy...he might become like Desmond." Sam started crying a little, but kept talking, spilling everything.

"I'm not ready to be a mom. You know that, Freddie, don't you? I didn't even want to be a mom in the first place. I wanted to be one of the first to go to college from my family. Get a stable job, have a nice family. I wanted to live my life differently from the way my mom and all my relatives live."

Sam sighed, resting her forehead on the edge of his bed. "What do you think, Freddie? Any advice you can give me?"

Sam listened for anything. She just heard the constant beeping of his heart monitor. Sam closed her eyes and squeezed his hand. But she wasn't expecting a squeeze from him, which was exactly what she felt.

Sam jerked her head up and looked at Freddie. He hadn't moved, but she swore she felt him squeezing her hand back. "Freddie?"

No change. In anything. He just lay there. Silent, unmoving. Maybe she had imagined it. Sam shut her eyes and laid her head back down on the edge of the bed. She fell asleep there. Sure, it may have been an uncomfortable position, but that didn't matter. She was close to Freddie.

* * *

  
A small pain shot up to his nervous system. He let out a soft groan. He remembered Sam talking to him. She spilled her guts to him, but he couldn't tell if that was a dream or real.

Freddie opened his eyes carefully and squinted at the dim lighting above his bed. He touched his side, where he vividly remembered being shot. He didn't feel any blood though. He just felt a papery fabric. His eyes adjusted more and he looked around. He saw medical equipment everywhere. He was in a hospital.

Freddie reached for his face and felt an oxygen mask. He pulled it off carefully and took a deep breath of air. He turned his head slowly and saw Sam asleep in the chair.

His heart skipped a few beats when he saw her. She was going to be fine. From the looks of it, she was already on the road to recovery.

Freddie tried sitting up, but he felt pain in his side. The doctors may have closed his wound, but it was still so sore. He let out a loud gasp of pain as he struggled to lie back down.

Sam's head shot up and here eyes were wide, staring at his open eyes. "Freddie?"

Freddie offered her the best smile he could despite the pain. "You're all right."

* * *

  
Dr. Cunning came back from his restroom break and went up behind the nurse behind the front desk of the ICU wing. "Any changes on the patients?" he asked.

"We had the patient in room 187 check out a few moments ago. Unfortunately, it was a permanent check out." the nurse said.

"Feel sorry for the family. And the doctor that has to deliver the news."

The nurse nodded her head in agreement. "Other than that, it's been pretty calm. A boring shift if you asked me."

Dr. Cunning scoffed lightly.

"Oh wait..." the nurse said as she leaned forward and looked at something on the screen.

"What is it?" Dr. Cunning leaned forward as well to see what the nurse saw.

"The patient in room 193 is waking up. He's coming out of his coma."

"Send two orderlies there now." Dr. Cunning said as he started walking briskly to room 193.

* * *

  
Sam stared at Freddie, his brown eyes staring right back at her. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming." Sam said softly.

Freddie smiled slightly as best he could. "I hope not. That'd mean I'd still be asleep." his voice was hoarse. It hurt when he talked.

Sam gave a small smile. She was about to get up, but the door opened and a doctor followed by two male nurses came in.

"Ma'am we're going to have to ask you to leave. We're going to need to make sure everything's fine with Freddie, inside and out." one of the male nurses said to Sam.

"What? No, I can't."

"Freddie, can you tell me what day it is?" Dr. Cunning said as he shined a light in Freddie's eyes.

"Um, I don't know...isn't it Friday? Don't make Sam leave though." he said as he tried sitting up.

"We're going to send her back to her room. She'll be able to come visit you once we're through checking over everything."

Sam was helped into a wheel chair and one of the nurses started pushing her out of Freddie's room and back to her own room. Sam turned around and could see Freddie from the window. He was answering Dr. Cunning's question, but he was looking out the window, watching her leave.

Sam turned her head back once Freddie was out of sight. She closed her eyes and let out deep breath. Freddie was awake and he was going to be fine. Things were going to get better. Her hands rested on her belly. They had to get better. She didn't know how she would survive if they didn't.

* * *

  
Desmond walked up to the baby boutique. The same one he left Sam's old clothes at. The morning sun was shining through a few thin clouds over Seattle. He walked up to the doorstep. He noticed that in the top corner of the door there was a new security camera. A better one from what she used to have. Desmond knew from experience the security camera was no good.

He walked through the front doors, a little bell chiming. He leaned over and grabbed a sign that had been put in the front window. It said 'Help Wanted.' With a confident look on his face, Desmond walked up to the lady at the cashier counter.

She smiled at him. Her name tag said Lisa. "Hi, how can I help you today? Are you a new daddy?"

Desmond smiled back graciously. "No, not yet. I'm going to be in a few months. But..." Desmond held the sign in front of him for Lisa to see. "Do you think I could get a job here?"


	9. Accusations Hurt The Most

A/N: I wasn't all that satisfied with this chapter, but this is what finally came out after several revisions. Hope you guys like it! I don't really have anything else to say...so just read it, then leave a review afterwards!  


* * *

  
Accusations Hurt The Most

"Sam! Do you know what happened?" Carly yelled as she burst into Sam's room.

Sam jumped out of surprise. She had been calmly watching TV before Carly came in. "What is it?" Sam's first thought was they caught Desmond.

"Freddie's awake! Spencer took me out of school when Mrs. Benson called and told us the good news. I just came back from seeing him." Carly sat on the edge of Sam's bed.

Sam smiled at Carly's enthusiasm. "I know. I was there when he woke up."

"You were! Oh that's so...wait, aren't you supposed to stay in bed so your ankle can get better?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's why Sherrie made sure all the doctors and nurses on this floor know that I'm not allowed to leave my room."

Only Sam could get into trouble at a hospital. "He asked for you. Wanted to know how you were doing."

"What did you tell him?"

"That you were getting better. He, um...also mentioned that you told him they took Stinger away. He didn't know if this was true or not since he was in a coma when he supposedly heard this." Carly looked at Sam who looked away. "Is it true?"

Sam swallowed hard. "Yeah. They came for him yesterday morning." Sam looked down at the blanket.

"You want to talk about it?"

Sam shook her head. "I'm not ready to talk about it." she whispered.

Carly nodded her head in understanding. "So do you think Sherrie would let you out of your room to see Freddie?"

Sam looked up at Carly. "Only if I'm pushed n a wheel chair."

Carly got up and went outside for a few moments. When she came back in, she was pushing a wheelchair. "Ready to...roll." Carly grinned and started laughing at her horrible joke.

Sam ginned. She missed hearing cheesy jokes from the Shay's. Carly helped her out of the bed and sat her down in the wheelchair. They walked out into the hallway, passing a few nurses who gave them their nod of approval. Carly talked a little about school. Ms. Briggs wanted to send Sam homework, but Principal Franklin had been holding her off.

Sam only paid half attention to Carly. She was thinking about Freddie. They would actually have the chance to talk without interruptions. At least Sam hoped so.

Carly stopped at the door. "You ready"

Sam nodded her head slowly, as if she was still unsure. Carly opened the door and pushed Sam in the room stopping her chair right at the edge of Freddie's bed. Carly took a seat that was right beside Sam.

Freddie had his eyes closed. He wasn't moving either. "They're sure he's really awake?"

"Yeah, they're positive. He's just sleeping right now." Carly said. She gave Freddie's arm a soft jab.

Freddie slowly opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the lighting. "Ow," he grumbled before turning his head to look at Sam and Carly. He squinted and furrowed his brows. "Sam?"

Sam gave a small smile. "Hi." she said softly. She swallowed hard. "How...how're you feeling?"

Freddie moistened his lips. "Like I'm in a cloud." he said, dragging out the last syllable.

Carly chuckled. "They have him on morphine for the pain. Guess it's a pretty strong dosage."

Sam stared at Freddie. He didn't have to be in pain. It was her fault he was like this. She didn't care what anyone else told her, it really was her fault.

"Carls?" Freddie turned to look at Carly, his eyes looked glazed.

"Yeah, Freddie?"

"Can I talk with Sam alone?" he asked.

Carly smiled. "Sure thing." she got up and left them alone.

Sam started playing with the armrest. "Maybe I should just go." she said after a few moments of silence.

Freddie shook his head slowly. "No, I wanted to see you. Make sure you're all right." he was talking slowly. Probably because of the medicine.

"Well I'm fine. I'm up and walking around."

Freddie raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, so maybe I'm not walking around..."

Freddie reached out and grabbed Sam's arm that was in a cast. "What happened?"

Sam looked down. "I broke my arm. I have a sprained ankle and a few bruised ribs."

Freddie looked at her stomach. "There's a baby inside of you." he said softly.

Sam quickly covered her stomach with her hands. "I think I know that, Freddie." she snapped.

Freddie looked at her. His eyes seemed as if they were about to close, but he kept them open. If Sam looked closer she could they were a bit moister than normal. "Sam...I heard everything you said. About the baby, your dreams...your apology." Freddie studied her. He could see all the hurt she was going through. "Please don't blame yourself for anything. None of this is your fault."

Sam looked away. She really didn't want to hear this right now.

"That baby inside of you...that isn't your fault. The only thing that matters is the fact that the baby has _Puckett_ blood. The baby is a full-blooded Puckett and nothing else."

Sam looked back at Freddie. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. "You aren't mad at me?" she remembered the angry look on his face when he came for her in the nursery.

"Sam...I coudln't be mad at for this. How could you even think that?"

Sam closed her eyes and started crying. He's right. How _could_ she have thought that.

"I'm here for you Sam. I'm never going to leave you." Freddie said as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

Sam leaned forward and rested her head on Freddie's bed as she cried. She didn't even know why she was crying. Maybe it was because everything she had gone through was finally catching up to her. Or maybe it was just because of the stupid pregnancy hormones. Sam didn't know. But she did know one thing. This was the first time she let herself cry in front of Freddie. And honestly, she didn't care.

* * *

Sam looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was finally out of that paper hospital gown and in her own clothes. Well, not really her own clothes. Carly had gone to the store and bought her some bigger sized clothes. She wasn't going to fit into her regular size with the baby bump.

The hospital finally decided to release her two days after Freddie woke up. It was Thursday. They wanted to have her stay longer since her mom still hadn't arrived, but Spencer convinced a few of the lady nurses and doctors to let Sam go and be under his temporary guardianship until her mom came back.

Sam's ribs were still a little sore and her arm was still in a cast and was held up by a sling. Her ankle had completely healed from the sprain too.

Freddie had been getting better. He was up on his feet as well, but he had to take it easy. He was going to have to go through physical therapy for a while. The good thing though was they were releasing Freddie today as well, considering his mom was registered nurse.

Sam went to see Freddie as often as she could. He was the one Sam really talked to. She may not have said anything about what happened during the five months, but she told him more things than she told Carly.

She stared at her stomach and remembered what Freddie said. _The baby is a full-blooded Puckett and nothing else_. She liked that idea.

She felt a hand place itself on her shoulder and she froze. She closed her eyes. _He's not here. He's not here._

"Sam?"

Sam turned around slowly and saw Freddie. She could feel her heart beginning to beat normally.

"Are you okay? You look kind of pale."

"I'm fine. Just...you scared me, that's all."

Freddie frowned. If he scared her, wouldn't she have flinched or even let out a scream. But she didn't do anything. She just kind of...froze, became tense under his hand.

"So we leaving yet?" she asked as she turned on the faucet to wash her hands, trying to avoid getting her cast wet. Ever since they took Stinger away, Sam had the feeling that she was filthy and couldn't seem to get the dirt off of her.

Freddie leaned against the bed. "Yeah. I'm going home with you guys since my mom has a shift in a few minutes."

Sam dried her hands and sat down. Her feet were starting to hurt. Sherrie said it was normal part of pregnancy. "I didn't know you were allowed to be walking without any help."

Freddie shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "My mom doesn't know."

Sam smirked. "Watch out world. Freddie's on a bad boy streak."

Freddie laughed quietly. "Are you sure your okay?"

Sam nodded, brushing some bangs out of her eyes. "Just...I feel kind of weird."

"Do you need a doctor?" Freddie asked, as he stood up straight. He seemed ready to take off running if Sam told him to.

"No, I'm fine. It's nothing dealing with my health."

"Positive?"

Sam looked down at her hands that were resting in her lap. "Yeah."

Freddie looked closely at her, feeling as if she was holding something back. He wasn't able to get anything out of her though because the door opened and Spencer came in. "All the papers are signed! You ready to split this joint?" Spencer asked in his over-enthusiastic voice.

Sam stood up and smiled, but Freddie could see that the smile didn't reach her eyes. Yeah, she was happy to go back to something familiar, but something was still off.

* * *

"You doing all right there, guys? It isn't too much for you to handle?" Spencer asked with a grin while looking at Sam and Freddie. Sam glared at Spencer while Freddie just laughed along. But his hand did rest on his side, almost as if he were nursing it.

"We're fine." Freddie answered for the both of them.

"Okay good. 'Cause then I'd be worried since it was just and elevator ride." Spencer said as he started unlocking the apartment. He opened the door and walked in, Sam and Freddie right behind him.

"Welcome home you guys. Now the couch won't be so lonely anymore." Spencer said as he went into the kitchen, walking backwards to look at Sam and Freddie.

Sam slowly looked around the apartment. There hadn't been a big change in anything since she had last been in the place. All the sculptures and funky decorations were still up and in place.

Freddie sat down and watched as Sam stared at every aspect of the apartment. "What're you looking at?" Freddie asked.

Sam shook her head and sat next to him. "Nothing, just...it's been a while since I've been here." she said quietly, trying to forget the reason.

"Is Sam and Freddie here?" they heard Carly yell from upstairs.

"Yeah they're here!" Spencer yelled back.

Carly came running down the stairs. "Hey! You guys hungry?"

"Definitely." Sam said as she rubbed her stomach.

Carly went to the fridge and pulled out a dish of food. She brought it into the living room and set the plate in front of Freddie and Sam. "Enjoy." she said proudly.

Sam stared at the plate of food. "Is that Bolivian bacon?"

"Sure looks like it." Freddie said as he grabbed a piece and put it in his mouth. "Oh this is so good."

Sam smiled as she grabbed a piece. She was going to put it in her mouth, but stopped. Something was missing. "Do you have any ketchup?"

Carly raised an eyebrow. "You're going to eat it with ketchup?"

"Yeah. Doesn't it sound delicious?"

"Uh...sure...let me get some."

"Oh and if you have any oystamato juice, can you bring me some?"

"Are you serious?" Freddie had to question.

"Yeah. That juice sounds really good right now."

Carly brought a glass of oystomato juice and a bottle of ketchup. "Forgot pregnant women have really weird food cravings.

Sam looked down at her round tummy. She had almost forgotten about the baby. A nasty feeling came over her, she felt as if she hadn't bathed in weeks, which wasn't true. She had taken a shower at the hospital last night. "I need to use the restroom." Sam said quickly.

She locked the door behind her and turned on the faucet. She started scrubbing her hands and arms, ignoring her cast and trying to get rid of the icky feeling.

* * *

"Tonight on the ten o'clock news," the news anchor started. "A teenage girl was taken from her-"

Freddie grabbed the remote and changed the channel to some mindless cartoon. Freddie, Sam, and Carly were all sitting on the couch, their eyes on the TV, but they were beginning to fall asleep. Spencer had gone to his room to look for a new game he had bought and wanted to show Sam. He had been looking for it for an hour already.

The entire night, the three of them laughed as they talked and recalled good memories. But Freddie had noticed something in Sam. She wouldn't really laugh. She would chuckle or smile when Carly or he laughed at something funny, but she wouldn't. He'd catch her staring at her stomach with a sad look a couple of times. Freddie couldn't get over how much she had changed. Maybe no one else saw it, but he did.

The door opened without warning, putting everyone, especially Sam, on edge. Sam swallowed when she saw who it was, a cautious smile was coming on her face. "Mom?" Sam slowly stood up.

"Sam. You're back." Terri said, sounding a bit dazed. She went up to her and gave her a hug. "Crap, Sam. You had me worried." Terri looked over Sam. She still hadn't noticed the baby bump.  
"What happened to your arm?"

As soon as she asked the question, a man walked into the apartment and stood behind Terri.

Sam took a few steps back. "I broke it. Who's that?" she questioned.

"Him? Oh, he's my new husband, Jeff. We got married in Sweden."

Jeff gave a slight wave before leaning against the wall. He didn't want to be here. He was just waiting for Terri to be done with her business.

"You married him?" Sam took one look at him. Blonde hair, brown eyes, leather jacket. This guy was a total loser. "How could you marry him?"

"Gee, Sam. It's great to see you too. I haven't seen you in like three months and you start yellin' at me the moment I come in to see you."

Sam noticed her mom said three months. She knew it had been so much longer than three months. "I wasn't yelling Mom. I just want to know what the heck you were thinking?" Sam was starting to raise her voice a little.

Carly stood up. "Um...Ms. Pucktt...or whatever your last name is...maybe you should-"

"Pipe down, barbie. I'm trying to have a conversation with my kid." Terri said, not even turning to look at Carly.

"I think it's time for us to leave." Carly said to Freddie.

"Wait, please don't leave." Sam said as she grabbed Freddie's hand and looked at him. She turned to Carly. "Please?"

Terri scoffed. "I'm not going to hurt you kid. You think I'm going to do something? Seems like you've already been hurt enough..." Terri said thoughtfully.

Sam looked back at her mom, still holding Freddie's hand. "I didn't mean it like that. You were in Sweden, Mom, getting married. Did you even care that I was gone? Or did you care only because I was the one that remembered to pay the bills, buy the food, make sure Frothy wasn't taking by Animal Control?" Sam's voice was quiet, but her words were like daggers.

Terri hesitated. "Of course I care about you! I spent ten hours through freakin' labor for you and Melanie! Don't you think that's enough care?"

"Oh wow, Mom. Labor. That's all you can come up with? Did you even give me a second thought when I was taken or were you just worried about who was going to make sure the house wouldn't be foreclosed?"

Terri stared at Sam, not answering her question.

Sam shook her head. "I can't believe you." she whispered.

Terri was about to say something, but her eyes finally noticed Sam's stomach. "You're pregnant?" she asked in a tone that was condemning.

Sam covered her stomach. "Yes."

"You little...seems like you've been pregnant for more than five months. Whose is it 'cause I know whoever took you wouldn't want to touch something like you." Terri sneered.

The room was silent.

"I knew you were going to be the one to get pregnant while you were still in high school." Terri looked at Freddie. She noticed they were holding hands. "It was the Benson kid wasn't it? He couldn't keep it in his pants and just _had_ to get you pregnant!"

Sam lost it. She let go of Freddie's hand and got in her mother's face. "Don't you ever accuse Freddie of doing that to me! He would never, _ever_ hurt me like that man did! And you know why? Because he cares! Just like Carly and Spencer! They all _care_! Something that you never had time for apparently!" Sam yelled in Terri's face. "I can't believe someone like you is my mother." Sam turned around and headed to the bathroom.

Everyone was still quiet, even Terri. Jeff let out a low whistle, making things awkward.

Freddie got up. "I think you should leave."

Terri narrowed her eyes. "I was leaving anyways." she spun on her heel and walked out of the apartment, Jeff right behind her.

Carly looked up at Freddie and could see the anger in his eyes. "You okay?"

Freddie didn't answer. "I'm going to talk to Sam." he said before leaving Carly. He walked down the hallways and stopped at the bathroom door. He knocked. "Sam? It's me, Freddie. Are you okay in there?"

Sam didn't answer.

"Sam? Can you at least say something so I know you're fine?"

Nothing.

"I'm going to come in if you don't answer me."

He didn't hear anything. Freddie grabbed the knob and turned it, walking into the bathroom.

Sam was at the sink, scrubbing her hands as best as she could with water and soap. He could see the tears coming down her face as she washed her hands. Her right hand was starting to look red and her cast was beginning to ruin. She was scrubbing her hands raw.

"Sam! You're going to hurt yourself!" Freddie exclaimed as he shut off the water and grabbed her wrists, holding them tightly.

Sam tried fighting him. "No, let go of me." she said.

"Sam, look at me." Freddie said.

Sam kept her eyes shut. "I just wanna' go home."

"You are home Sam. Open your eyes and just look at me."

Sam opened her eyes slowly. She let out a quiet sob that made her shoulders jerk forward. She closed her eyes again and rested her head on Freddie's chest, letting the tears fall from her eyes. She hated that she was crying in front of him again, but she couldn't stop crying, no matter how hard she tried.

Freddie slowly started walking towards a wall and started lowering himself and Sam until they were sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. "Shh...it's okay Sam. Things are going to get better."

Sam was hugging Freddie, her tears had slowed down. She could feel something rough under his shirt. She rubbed her fingers over it and she heard Freddie inhale sharply. It was the stitches he had from the bullet wound. The bullet that was supposed to have gone right through her heart. She sniffed, wiping her nose on the back of her sleeve. "I'm sorry my mom said those things." she said softly.

"Don't worry about it. I know they weren't true."

Sam let out a shaky breath from the crying she had done. Her eyelids slowly started drooping as she felt sleepiness come over her.

Freddie didn't say anything as he held Sam in his arms. He knew he couldn't say anything to make her feel better, or even fix things. But he knew that wasn't what she needed. She just needed to be held.

Freddie felt Sam tense suddenly in his arms and sit up straight. "Sam? What's wrong what is it?"

Sam looked at him with wide eyes before grabbing his hand and placing it on the top of her tummy. Freddie was about to ask what she was doing, when he felt it. Something pushing up against her stomach. He stared at her stomach then to her eyes. They were filling up with tears again. "It moved." she whispered. "My baby girl moved." Sam closed her eyes and rested her head on Freddie's chest, a new wave of tears coming out.

* * *

It was closing time at Rosie's Baby Boutique. Only Desmond and Lisa were left in the store. As Desmond was closing up the registry, he felt Lisa's eyes on him. She was staring. She had been staring at him since he got the job. He closed the register and looked up at her. She smiled at him before walking up to the counter where he was. "Hey, Simon. I'm going to a friend's party. Her and her husband aren't able to have kids, but the state gave a baby from foster care, so they're throwing a party. Do you want to come? You could bring your wife, too."

Desmond, who was using the name Simon for the moment, didn't hesitate in giving Lisa an answer. "I'd love to go, but I'm afraid my wife can't go. She's been really tired lately and I don't think going to a party would be good for her. She won't mind if I go, though."

"Okay then. You can follow me in my car once we finish closing shop." Lisa turned around and headed to the back of the store.

"Lisa, do you know the baby's name?"

Lisa paused before looking at him. She looked around before walking back up to him. "This is the deal. This baby's dad is a major criminal and his mother was just one of his victims. The police don't want the guy, his name is Desmond, or the media to find out. At least not until they catch Desmond. The baby's name is Micah Sting, but you have to swear not to tell anyone."

Desmond smiled. This was way too easy. Luck really was on his side for this one. "I swear."


	10. As Normal As Normal Can Be

A/N: When you finish reading this chapter, you'll see all it really is, is just a filler chapter. I really don't like writing filler chapters, but they have to be done! But I can tell you something is going to happen within two chapters, maybe even by the end of the next chapter...we'll see! Thanks you guys for all the wonderful reviews, and SeddieThunder...I loved what you put! You made me break into a wide smile! Okay, so everyone keep reviewing because I really do appreciate them! Without further ado, the new chapter!

* * *

As Normal As Normal Can Be

Sam opened her eyes as soon as her nose smelled the cooking ham. She started feeling queasy. The smell of ham still made her feel sick. She sat up, finally realizing how she had fallen asleep. She had fallen asleep on Freddie's lap. Freddie was still asleep, with his head back, his mouth open and snoring softly. She rubbed her eyes as she tried remembering what happened after Freddie went into the bathroom.

They had talked for a little bit, but mostly being quiet. Then after a couple hours, came back out. Carly and Spencer had already gone to bed. They sat on the couch and eventually fallen asleep. Sam didn't want to remember what happened before the bathroom.

"Good afternoon sleepyhead." Spencer said from the kitchen. "I made some eggs and ham. You want some?"

Sam made a gagging noise. "No. I hate ham." she grumbled.

Spencer gave her an odd look. "Are you serious?"

Sam stood up and started walking to the bathroom, ignoring Spencer. She brushed her teeth and washed her hands for a bit before coming back out. Freddie was still asleep. Normally, she would've stuck her fingers in his mouth, pinched his nose closed, or even yelled in his ear. But things weren't normal anymore. Who knew if they were ever going to get normal.

Sam sat at the bar as she watched Spencer putting the finished eggs and ham onto a plate.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" Spencer asked in a serious tone.

Sam nodded her head. "Can I have some eggs sunny side up with some ketchup on the side?" she asked as she rested her head on the counter.

Spencer couldn't imagine eating eggs with ketchup, but he didn't question it, or bring up the weird cravings.

Carly came downstairs a few minutes later. "Morning." she said, still yawning and trying to smooth down her bed hair.

"Hey, Carls." Sam greeted.

Carly looked at the sleeping Freddie and chuckled. She could hear him snoring. "Is anyone going to wake Freddie up."

"I got it." Sam said as she grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl and aimed at Freddie's forehead.

As if sensing Sam about to throw something, Freddie let out an even louder snore and opened his eyes. He slowly lifted his head and rubbed his neck. "Morning." he mumbled, still trying to adjust to the lighting.

"Good morning Freddie. Care for some eggs and ham?" Spencer asked.

Freddie nodded his head. He started getting up, but he let out a small cry of pain and sat back down. His face was twisted into a grimace and he held his side.

"You all right?" Carly asked with a frown.

"Yeah, I just need some pain killers." he said, this time getting up even slower.

"You need any help?"

Freddie shook his head. "I need to do things on my own." he said before walking out the door.

Sam watched the door for a few moments before turning back around and resting her head on the counter. She started peeling the orange and ate it. Carly sat next to her. "So, Sam...what do you think about staying here?"

Sam frowned as she looked at Carly. "For the day or do you want me to spend the night?"

"No, I mean like living here. Not permanently, but just until you settle things with your mom."

Sam looked from Spencer to Carly. "You guys would let me?"

"Of course!" Spencer said as he put two eggs on a plate. He cracked two more and let them cook in the pan. "You could always stay in Carly's room, or even the guest room...but it kind of needs to be cleared out."

Sam smiled, her first real smile in a long time. "And you guys wouldn't mind having me?"

"You practically lived here before, I don't think it's going to be any different." Carly said with a smirk.

"Well I mean...since I'm pregnant and everything." the words felt weird coming out of her mouth. She gingerly laid her hand on her stomach, wondering when she was going to feel the baby move again. _Her_ baby.

"Sam, it's not going to make any difference." Spencer squirted some ketchup onto the plate and handed it to Sam. "You're still the same Sam, only you'll have mood swings, weird cravings, your ankles are going to swell up like soccer balls-"

Carly slapped Spencer's stomach. He was making Sam worried and maybe even scared.

"So what do you say Sam?" Carly asked.

Sam smiled again and nodded her head. "It'll be an adventure."

* * *

The whole week was a strange one. Carly and Spencer threw a small welcome back party for both Sam and Freddie the next day, which was a Saturday. Everyone who came saw Sam's swollen stomach, but said nothing of it to her. Instead they asked Carly or Freddie, even Spencer if she was pregnant. Considering that Sam was only going to get bigger by the days, they told them the truth. Sam was okay with it too. Sure, she wished she could've hid it for a while, but life didn't let her.

Carly had called Melanie and told her about Sam staying with them. Melanie had called Terri and did her best to explain it. Terri had tried calling Sam a few times, but Sam refused to speak to her.

Sam and Freddie didn't go to school. Instead, they hung out on the Shay's couch, watching TV all day or getting on Fredide's computer and go to a quiz site where he and Sam would take turns doing completely random quizzes. From what flavor drink they were most like to what type of underwear best fit their personality. Sometimes they would talk even, but stayed away from the two taboo subjects; what happened with Sam and Desmond, and the date she and Freddie _almost _had.

Sam had received calls and texts from a lot of people, saying that they were glad she was back. They didn't congratulate her on the pregnancy though. Instead, they would encourage her and say whatever she decided to do would be okay. A few would ask what she was going to do with the baby, but Sam would ignore those messages.

Freddie would leave for his physical therapy from one to three thirty. During that time, Sam would do a lot of thinking. She thought about where she was going to stay permanently, how long her mom was going to be married, how far behind she was in school, and more importantly about what she needed to do with the baby. Sam was starting to wonder if she could actually give the baby up for adoption. But even if she was or wasn't going to give the baby up, Sam needed it to be a girl. She didn't want a boy.

It was Friday evening and Freddie, Sam, and Carly were all in the iCarly studio getting ready to do a show. It was going to be their first show after about a month hiatus. All three of them were excited and had special things lined up for their viewers.

"Are you sure you guys are ready to do a show?" Carly asked Sam and Freddie. "Shouldn't you still be resting a little more?"

"Are you kidding? We've had to resort to taking a quiz that tells us if we're a geek or a nerd. As if there was a difference." Sam said. "I think we've rested as much as we can."

"And I'll be good as long as Sam doesn't try and hit me with anything." Freddie said with a smirk.

Yeah, things were slowly getting back to normal.

"Okay, are you guys ready?" Freddie asked as he adjusted the camera on his shoulder.

"I am, you Sam?" Carly asked.

Sam pulled out her arm from the sling to stretch it before putting it back in the sling. "I'm ready." she said with a smile.

"We're live in five…four…three…two…" The red recording button came on.

"Hey everyone, this is Carly, my amazing best friend!" Sam said as she pointed to Carly.

"And this is Sam, my crazy best friend!" Carly said as she pointed to Sam.

"And this is iCarly!" they yelled simultaneously.

Sam pushed the applause button on the blue remote and they both took a little bow. "So I'm pretty sure you guys were all worried about me the last few months, and probably worried about Freddork here too," Sam started.

"But they're both back and are doing great!" Carly said.

"Yup, and now I've got a wicked looking cast on my arm!" Sam exclaimed as she showed off her cast. It had been purple, but while bored, Sam grabbed a black marker and put stripes all over it. "And Freddie's going to have a battle scar." Sam said, trying to throw in humor. Her smile showed it, but her eyes told a different story.

"And in honor of Sam and Freddie coming back in one piece, we're going to play a video for you guys." Carly said. Freddie zoomed in to face Carly as she put on a serious face. "It's a video of a guy spewing out broccoli and cheese…from his nose!" Carly turned to Sam, waiting for her to push the cheering button, but she never did. She just stood there frozen in place.

"Sam?" Carly asked, looking nervously as the camera and then back to Sam. "Freddie, play the video." Carly said urgently.

Freddie did as she said and the video started playing.

"Sam, are you all right?" Freddie asked as he put down the camera for a moment.

_She could taste his breath in her mouth. Broccoli and cheese. She whimpered as she felt him. He squeezed her arm roughly in response to her whimper. If it had been just a little louder, she would've been hit. Just like the many other times she whimpered when she felt his weight on her._

Sam shut her eyes tightly and tried ignoring the ickiness she was feeling all over her body. Why was she thinking about this right now?

"Sam, answer me." Freddie said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Sam just made her eyes close even tighter and she whimpered softly.

"It's just Freddie, Sam." Carly told her.

Sam bit her lip as she opened her eyes. She saw Carly and Freddie looking at her with worried looks. She swallowed hard. "Sorry…I thought you were…someone else. I'm fine." she said quickly as she rubbed her left arm. It was starting to throb.

"Maybe it's too soon for you to be doing the webshow." Freddie said.

"I'm fine, Freddie. I can do the show." Sam said through narrowed eyes. She didn't care if he was talking to her calmly.

"I'm just trying to look out for you." Freddie was now glaring at her.

The clip ended and Freddie and Sam were still staring each other down as if they were about to have another huge argument. Carly was the only one who noticed the camera was still on and it was directed towards them. Carly smiled nervously and waved. She quickly made her way to the camera and grabbed it to where it was only positioned on her. "Uh, hey, people of the seven continents. We're, um…having technical difficulties right now!"

"Stop being so stubborn, Sam! Just go down stairs!" Freddie finally yelled

"I'm not being stubborn and I'm going to do what you tell me to do!" Sam yelled back.

Carly smiled even more nervously. "So enjoy this picture of a squirrel throwing acorns at a cat to a song Beethoven wrote!"

Carly pulled up the clip and it was now the only thing the viewers could see or hear.

"Guys, come on! We're in the middle of a show! No arguing." Carly said.

"We aren't arguing." Sam said.

"We're just having a disagreement." Freddie added.

Carly rolled her eyes. "Well you better fix this disagreement before the camera turns back on!" Carly hissed.

Freddie and Sam continued their staring contest. "I really don't think you should be doing the show right now." Freddie said.

"I said I was fine, nub." Sam snapped.

"Sam, you're going to go downstairs and rest right now." Freddie said in the firmest voice. It surprised both Carly and Sam.

Sam blinked a few times, trying to remember it was the tech geek she was talking to. "Freddie, I said that I was fine, okay. So just get out of my way so we can finish the show." her voice wasn't as strong as she wanted it to come out.

Freddie stayed rooted in place. He even crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not moving, Puckett. You're going to rest."

"Don't make me poke your side, Frederly." Sam threatened.

Freddie scoffed. "I know you and I know you're not going to do that."

Sam stared him down, expecting him to cower away in fear, but he didn't. Well, she was feeling really tired and a nap might do her some good. "Fine. Nub." Sam said as she turned around and walked out.

"Um, okay…do we keep going?" Carly asked after Sam had walked out of the studio.

Freddie picked up his camera, "Let's just try and make this seem as normal as possible. See if Spencer or Gibby can come up and fill Sam's spot."

* * *

Spencer had come up and filled Sam's place since Gibby was out with Tasha.

"Sorry Sam had to leave during the middle of the show. She didn't feel good." Carly said as they started wrapping the show up.

"I'm sure she'll be here next week and I can be on _my_ date next week." Spencer said as he turned to give Carly a small glare.

Carly ignored Spencer and waved bye to the camera.

"And we're clear." Freddie said as he cut off the signal.

"Sorry I had to make you cancel your date." Carly said a bit sarcastically to Spencer.

Spencer just waved his hand as he walked out of the studio.

"Any comments so far?" Carly asked as she came up to Freddie.

"I'm checking them right now..."

They read the list of comments they already gotten. All of them had said something about being glad Sam and Freddie were back. Most of them also put something about Sam being pregnant. Several asked what happened and why Sam didn't finish the show.

Carly sighed. "What do we tell them about Sam's pregnancy?"

"We leave it up to her." Freddie said. "You can keep looking at them. I'm going to talk with her." he said before walking out of the studio.

Freddie saw her asleep on the couch. Sleeping a lot was normal for pregnancy, at least that's what Freddie had read. He decided it'd be better to just let her sleep and for him to go home. He walked to the door, but Sam lifted her head.

"You guys finish?" she asked, sitting up.

"Yeah. I was just about to go home."

"Oh..."

"But since you're awake..." Freddie sat next to her. "Did you sleep? Or did you just have your eyes closed?"

"No, I was asleep. I was dreaming actually."

"About what?"

Sam pursed her lips. It was bad dream. She didn't want to talk about it so she just stayed quiet.

Freddie could see he wasn't going to get an answer, so he continued with a different question. "What happened, Sam? Why did you freeze up like that in the middle of the show?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Sam, you're never going to feel any better if you don't talk about it." Freddie was finally pushing. It wasn't healthy for her to keep these things bottled up.

"Well maybe I'm not ready to talk about it." Sam snapped.

Freddie leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. He wasn't going to get anywhere with her.

Sam bit her lip and thought about what Freddie said. Maybe she would feel a little better after she talked a little about it. "I blocked everything out." she finally said.

Freddie looked at her and sat up, letting her know he was listening.

Sam didn't look back at him though. "I didn't want to think about it, so I just filled my mind with everything about Stinger. He was my lifeline. It's how I survived. I really did block all the bad out with him. But when they took Stinger away..." Sam wiped her nose with her sleeve. "It's like everything came to the front of my head. And the broccoli and cheese...that's how he tasted." Sam whispered, trying so hard not to cry.

Freddie hated seeing Sam like this. So hurt. He gave a hug. Hugs seemed like the only thing he could do for her.

* * *

"Simon! Come check this out!"

Desmond looked up from the register when Lisa called him. He had just finished with a costumer and there didn't seem to be anyone else in the store. "What is it?" he asked as he came up to her.

"You ever heard of iCarly?"

Of course he had. Sam was part of the show. "No...what is it?"

"It's this webshow that these kids do. Anyways, one of the girls, Sam Puckett, was the same girl that was taken some months ago by that serial killer. The one that had to take care of Micah Sting. Now she's back, but she's pregnant." Lisa showed Desmond the first clip with the introduction of the show.

Desmond stared at Sam. She looked healthy and happy, at least happier than she was when she was in the nursery. She had also gotten bigger since the last time he saw her. The baby inside of her had been growing.

"I can't believe she survived. Can you imagine something like that happening to her?" Lisa said as she stopped the video.

"No, I can't imagine."

Lisa shook her head and put her phone away. "I hope they catch that sick man."

Desmond nodded, but in deep thought. He needed to get Sam back for himself.

"Well, my friend and her husband are leaving for this conference this weekend, so I get to watch Micah Sting. Wanna' help me with him, Simon?"

Desmond grinned. "I'd love to."


	11. Punches, Kisses, and Bumps

A/N: This chapter was a little iffy, but oh well. I re-read it a bunch of times and this is what finally came out. Hope you guys like it and enjoy it, and leave a review for me please? Oh and I'm kind of thinking about doing a few one-shots that would be like deleted scenes from this story. They'd be seddie focused, but I don't know when I'll be able to write them/post them. Once I get some time to relax some, I'll definitely write something up and post it. But don't expect anything like that until end of November...

* * *

Punches, Kisses, and Bumps

"Did you guys do any of the homework I gave to you?" Carly asked as the trio walked to school. They were just about to turn into the block where it was.

"I did some...I got bored though and stopped. Finished history and science though."

"Only because you copied the answers from my work." Freddie pointed out.

Sam glared at him. "Well it got done." she mumbled, kicking a rock.

"I finished most of it, but I got stuck with some of the math." Freddie said.

"Dork." Sam muttered.

"At least I _tried_ with the math." Freddie pointed out.

"Is it my fault that I don't like math?"

"Kind of actually. Besides, if you really think about it, it's all logic. You just have to understand-"

"You're boring me!" Sam yelled. Without even thinking, she punched Freddie in the gut.

Freddie buckled over and cried out in pain.

"Oh my gosh, Freddie!" Carly screamed as she knelt down by Freddie. "Sam! How could you?"

Sam stared at Freddie as he held his side. "I...I didn't mean to! I swear! I forgot..." her voice trailed off in a whisper. She didn't really forget, how could she ever forget what Freddie did for her? It was just a reflex. She did her best to kneel beside him like Carly. "I'm sorry Freddie! I didn't mean to hit the stitches!"

"It hurts! Oh man, this is killing me!" Freddie yelled with his eyes shut tight.

"Where are you pain meds? Maybe you could..." Sam stopped when she saw Freddie trying to hide a smile. "Freddie?"

Freddie opened his eyes and looked up at both girls before bursting into laughter. "You guys looked so scared!" he laughed as he held his side which was actually starting to hurt from laughing too hard.

"Okay, I'm confused!" Carly got up and held up her hands.

Freddie sat up slowly, still laughing. "Sam didn't hit my stitches. You missed them completely. They're on my left side, not my right."

Sam sat on the ground, staring at Freddie. How dare he...

Freddie's laughs died as soon as he saw the look on Sam's face. Pure anger. It was just like the time he handcuffed her to Gibby. "Sam? It was a joke. I pro-"

Sam slugged him on the arm. "I swear I could kill you right now!" Sam yelled as she tried to stand up.

Freddie stood first and helped her up from the ground. "But you aren't." he pointed out.

Sam glared at him. "Once this kid is out of my stomach, you had better have a will written out." Sam threatened.

Carly rolled her eyes. No matter what happened between them, they would never really stop arguing.

* * *

Freddie pulled his hat lower down his forehead as he took a long gulp from the water fountain. He didn't swallow right away. Instead, he pulled out two pills from a pill box. He put them in his mouth and swallowed the pills and water. Relief would soon be his.

"I thought you said Sam didn't hurt you."

Freddie spun around and saw Carly. "Oh, um. Not really. I actually made it start hurting from laughing too much." Freddie put his pill box away.

"You're not going to get addicted to those pain killers, right?" Carly asked in a low whisper.

"No! Of course not!" Freddie exclaimed in an equally low whisper. "My mom made sure they're non-narcotic and don't have anything that could possibly be addicting."

"But still..."

"Carly, I promise. I'm not getting addicted. Besides, I only have one refill on these things."

"Fine. And why are you wearing a hat?"

Freddie started walking with Carly towards her locker. "Because I really don't want anyone to come up to me. People don't really look at me with the hat. Isn't Sam doing something like this too?"

"But why don't you want anyone coming up to you? And you weren't there when Sam yelled at everyone staring at her in the hallway." Carly said with a light smirk.

Freddie shook his head. That sounded like something Sam would do. "Remember when I pushed you out of the way from the taco truck?"

"Yeah. Everyone was pretty amazed." Carly said with a slight frown, still not seeing Freddie's reasoning.

"Exactly. Now I pushed Sam out of the way of something more dangerous than a taco truck and what do they think?"

"It's even more amazing." Carly said, the realization dawning on her.

"Yup. So where's Sam? Shouldn't she be out of homeroom by now?"

"Yeah, but she went to the principles office."

"She's barely been back for an hour and she's already in the principle's office?" Freddie couldn't believe it.

"Yes, but she's not in trouble at least, I don't think so."

"Hey people. What's up?" Sam came walking up to them, zipping up her light sweater. It made her stomach less obvious while it was still possible.

"Why did you see Principal Franklin?" Freddie asked right away.

Sam opened her locker. "He wanted to talk."

"About?"

Sam rolled her eyes as she grabbed a package of fat cakes. She sniffed it and deemed it still worthy enough to eat. "School. He wanted to know if I would go to an alternative school considering my _situation."_

"Are you?"

"No. I'm staying here at Ridgeway. But he said I had to see the school shrink twice a week and on the days I didn't see the shrink, I need to stay after school from some extra classes." Sam leaned against the lockers and rubbed her stomach while she ate the fat cake. "It really janks."

Carly started filling Sam in on everything she missed during first period, passing the time until the next class started. Sam wasn't paying attention. With her hand on her stomach, she could feel the light fluttering again. The baby was moving some more. She smiled, just thinking about the good, nothing bad.

Freddie saw her smile and his heart seemed to skip a beat. It was one of the smiles she rarely used, even before the incident she would rarely smile like that. He hoped the baby would move a lot, just so he'd be able to see that special smile.

* * *

The three were back from school and were at the Shay apartment. Sam had gone into the kitchen and grabbed a rack of ribs and a bottle of ketchup, Carly went to her room, and Freddie was in the iCarly studio, messing with some of the equipment. Freddie had his headphones on to some soft music as he checked the cameras and such. He didn't hear the door open and he didn't notice Sam standing right behind him.

"Freddie?" Sam tapped his shoulder, making him spin around.

"Sam, hey. What's up?" Freddie said.

"Nothing." she replied. She grabbed a chair and sat down on it, staring at Freddie.

Freddie gave her a concerned look. She wasn't this quiet unless something was bothering her. "Is everything all right?"

"Did I really hurt you while we were walking to school?" Sam asked in a soft voice.

Freddie sighed, putting down the computer gear in his hands. "Sam, I already told you. You didn't hurt me. If anything, you just hurt me just as bad as you used to."

Sam looked down. "But things are different now."

Freddie stood in front of her and bent down a little. "Yeah, they are. But some things will never change. And you punching me, teasing me, calling me names, that's something that might never change."

Sam looked at Freddie with tears in her eyes. "But I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"Sam, you did _not_ hurt me. To be honest, you haven't _ever_ hurt me. Yeah, you hit me and everything, but it doesn't hurt like some other things would. And I'm sorry for messing with you like that. I should've known not to do that."

Sam started crying and buried her face in her hands.

"Don't cry." Freddie pleaded as he gave her a hug.

"I don't want to!" Sam cried. "I don't even know why I'm crying. It's these stupid hormones!"

Freddie chuckled and hugged her until she stopped crying. "So we're good?"

Sam wiped her eyes. "Yeah, we're good. I think I'm going to take a nap. Later, Fredward." Sam said as she walked out of the studio.

Freddie wanted to stop her so they could talk about something else that was on his mind, but he let her go. He had plenty of time to talk about going out a date with her.

* * *

A week of semi-normalcy passed. School continued, Freddie and Sam both tried their best to get caught up completely. Sam stayed after school, just like Principal Franklin had told her to, and she was seeing the therapist. It was weird the first time, but the second time, she just closed her eyes and imagined the therapist wasn't there. More than a few times, she'd imagine the therapist was Freddie.

The baby was moving more frequently and Sam would smile every time, not even thinking about Desmond. Freddie got his wish of seeing the smile even more. But that didn't mean she didn't have nightmares. Almost every night, Carly would have to wake Sam up from a nightmare. Sam could tell it was taking a toll on Carly. She would move into the Shay's guestroom, but that was where Spencer stored all the stuff that wouldn't fit in the basement. It was a lot of stuff.

Sam wasn't ready to move back with her mom, so she started looking at apartments in the area that were available to rent. If she found some nice and affordable and if she got a job...there were too many 'if's' for her liking though.

At the moment, Carly and Freddie were on the couch. Carly watching TV while Freddie messed around on his computer. It was harder than he thought to stop taking random quizzes.

"We're back!" Spencer called out as he walked in the apartment with Sam right behind him. Spencer had gone to pick her up from school.

"Hey Sam. You want something to eat?" Carly asked, already getting up and heading to the kitchen.

"Mmm, a hamburger sounds really good. With a whole lot of-"

"Ketchup. I know." Carly said, pulling out everything she needed.

Sam plopped down on the couch besides Freddie and rested her feet on the coffee table. "Ugh, my feet are killing me. Look at them. They look gigantic."

Freddie chuckled. "They're supposed to start looking gigantic." Freddie set aside his laptop and grabbed Sam's feet and put them on his lap. He started massaging them.

Sam closed her eyes and a smile of pure pleasure crossed her face. "That feels so good..."

Freddie smiled. "So how was school?"

"Boring."

"Therapy? You were supposed to go today, weren't you?"

"Um..."

"Sam, please tell me you didn't skip."

"No, I didn't skip it. I went."

"Did you mention anything about the nightmare's?" Freddie's voice started to get softer. He wasn't sure if Sam wanted to answer his question.

Sam just let out a heavy sigh as she completely stretched herself on the couch, still letting Freddie massage her feet. "I didn't want to talk about it." Sam said in a soft, but sharp tone. "I kind of made a really big decision during therapy, though." the sharpness wasn't there anymore.

Freddie gave her a careful look. "What was it?"

Sam swallowed hard and bit her lip. She sat up on her elbows and looked at Freddie."I, um..." she took a determined breath. "I'm keeping the baby. I know that it's going to be hard, I'm probably going to have to get a job, reconcile with my mom or find an apartment for myself, start getting better grades in school so I can graduate. I guess after they took Stinger away, that's when I found out that I was going to keep the baby. I just didn't want to admit." Sam looked with a small trace of a smile on her face.

"You're sure this is what you want?" Freddie did his best to proceed with caution.

"Yeah. It's going to be tough, but who said life wasn't?"

Sam laid back down and began complaining about her teachers. Freddie laughed or sympathized with her when appropriate. She was starting to act more like herself again. Freddie knew she was still going to struggle with some things because of Desmond, but she was doing her best to move on. She just kept plowing through life, determined not to let anything get her down. Freddie loved that about her, but it also made him worry for her.

* * *

Carly Freddie and Sam were hanging out in Carly's room. Sam and Freddie sprawled out on the bed and Carly was putting on make-up on the couch. They were getting ready to eat some pasta, which Sam just so happened to be craving.

A month and a half of peace passed. There was only one more week left in school. Then summer vacation. Sam and Freddie both had been working hard and now they were going to be able to have a summer vacation. No summer school for them.

Sam scratched at her arm. The cast had been taken off a week ago and was replaced by a splint. If anything, the splint was worse.

"Stop scratching. You're going to make it worse." Freddie said as he grabbed her hand to stop her.

Sam rolled her eyes. "But it's bothering me!"

"Don't scratch." Freddie said in a low voice right next to her ear.

Sam swallowed hard. She pulled her hand back trying to get rid of the shivers. She started to rub her stomach. "Are you almost ready, Carly? I'm so hungry!"

"Didn't you eat just an hour ago?" Carly asked.

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry."

"Carly! Carly! Carly! Help me!" Spencer yelled from downstairs.

Carly groaned as she put down her brush. "I'll get the first aid kit." Carly shook her head as she walked out of the room.

"Seems like we're going to have to wait for pasta." Freddie said as he sat up on the bed.

Sam groaned, pulling herself up and sitting next to Freddie. "And I was really looking forward to it." she leaned her head on Freddie's shoulder. "Oh well. Guess it means I get to take another nap."

Freddie chuckled while Sam closed her eyes. "Anything interesting happen that you haven't told me about yet?"

"Not really. You already know everything." Sam adjusted her head and looked at Freddie. "But I did come up with a name."

"Really? What is it?"

Sam smiled. "Isobel."

"Isobel Puckett. Sounds good. And if it's a boy?"

Sam lifted her head and gave Freddie a cold stare. "It's not going to be a boy."

Freddie swallowed. He knew Sam still didn't officially know the gender. "Sam, I'm just saying-"

"No Freddie! It's not going to be a boy. It _can't_ be a boy." she yelled at him. Freddie swore he saw tears in her eyes.

"Okay, I'm sorry I said anything." Freddie said. He knew if she didn't calm down, something would be broken or she'd end up crying. Hormones.

Sam crossed her arms and stared straight ahead.

Freddie let out a heavy sigh. She was mad at him and he didn't like it. "Sam, I'm really sorry. I didn't meant to make you upset. I was just wondering." he turned to look at her, even though she was still staring at the wall. "How about when you get married and have another kid? If it was a boy, what would you name him?"

Sam pursed her lips. A small smile came to her face. "I'd name him after his dad, my husband." the smile disappeared as she started rubbing small circles on her stomach. "I don't think that'll ever happen though."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I don't think any guy would want to marry me. I'm about to become a mother at sixteen and if I had baggage _before_ this...incident happened, imagine how much baggage I have now."

"That is not true!" Freddie exclaimed, turning completely on the couch to face her. He grabbed her chin and gently turned her head so she was looking back at him. "You, Sam Puckett, are the strongest girl I have ever known. Every day you surprise me with how you handle things that this messed up world throws at you. I admire that so much."

Sam bit her lip, not saying anything. She was trying to calm her beating heart that was freaking out at how close Freddie's face was to hers.

"Sam, you're...wonderful." Freddie said softly.

If you asked Freddie about it later, he would say he didn't know what he was thinking. He might not have even been thinking, he had just gotten so caught up in the moment. He closed his eyes and leaned in, meeting his lips with hers.

Sam closed her eyes as soon as their lips met. Was this a dream? Was Freddie really kissing her? She could feel him trying to take the kiss deeper. She opened her mouth and Freddie gladly responded. He sent chills, _good_ chills, up and down her spine. But her imagination started getting the best of her. Sam could taste broccoli and cheese. She heard _Desmond's_ heavy breathing. Desmond's massive hands grabbing hers. She let out a soft whimper and her body tensed.

Freddie heard the whimper and felt her body become stiff. He knew she was was getting uncomfortable and he slowly began to withdraw from the kiss. He figured she might react badly, and he wasn't about to force himself upon her. But as soon as his lips were about to pull away completely, Sam moved her good hand and held the back of his head in place, making sure their lips didn't stop.

Sam's brain stopped the imaginings and she remembered who it really was. Freddie. Freddie was kissing her. Not some nasty man that she hated. Freddie, the guy that she lo-...lik-...had weird feelings for.

They both pulled apart when there wasn't any more oxygen in their lungs. Sam stared into his brown eyes, not seeing one trace of maliciousness. But what she did see scared her probably just as much. Love.

Freddie brushed back some of her hair out of her eyes. "Sam...I-"

"Spencer's all right, he just made his nose start bleeding. Thank goodness he didn't break it." Carly said lightly as she came back in the room. "You guys ready to go?"

Freddie jumped up and wiped his hands on his pants. "Oh, th-that's good. I mean, not the bleeding. He doesn't have to go to a hospital! Hooray!"

Carly frowned at Freddie, wondering what could have happened that turned him into an even worse nervous wreck. She glanced at Sam and could see her face was a little pale and her eyes wide open. "What were you guys doing?"

"Nothing!" they yelled simultaneously. They exchanged looks, then blushed.

"I'm going back home. I think I hear my mom calling me." Freddie practically ran out of the room.

"You aren't coming with us?" Carly asked, but Freddie had already left. She turned back to Sam. Her face had gotten some of its color back, but she still looked like she was in shock. Carly helped Sam up from the bed. "Okay, now you really have to tell me what happened."

Sam bit her lip. "You wouldn't believe me for a moment."

* * *

Desmond locked up the shop and started to walk down the street to the hotel he was staying at. Instead of going the usual route, he went a different way. It might've been a longer route, but he didn't care. He was starting to get impatient and wanted his child now. She should already be at halfway through her seventh month. He just needed to hold out just a little bit longer.

"It wasn't my fault! I swear, I didn't even know that coffee table was there."

"Spencer, that coffee table has _always_ been there! How could you not have seen it?"

Desmond looked up and could see three people walking. A man and two girls. He knew exactly who they were. Spencer, Carly, and Sam, all walking in that order. Desmond hadn't meant to run into them right now. He was just going to pass Bushwell Plaza. They wouldn't recognize him though, he made sure of that.

He kept walking closer towards them, and when he finally reached them, he bumped into Sam, pushing her shoulder a little.

Carly and Spencer didn't notice and kept walking. Sam stopped to say a rude comment. She took one look at him though and knew who he was.

Desmond smiled, seeing the recognition in her eyes. He knew she was a smart one. "Sorry about that, ma'am. Congratulations on the baby." he said before turning around and continued walking the opposite direction.

"Sam, you coming?" Carly asked when she realized Sam wasn't next to her anymore. Carly turned around to look at Sam, but by that time, Desmond had turned a corner and Carly didn't see him. But Carly did see the pale look on Sam's face. "Are you okay?"

Sam swallowed hard. It was him. She couldn't have been imagining it. But then again, she had been imagining him a lot, always seeing him in her nightmares. "Yeah, I'm fine." Sam lied as she joined up with Carly and Spencer and they continued walking.


	12. To Appreciate Dreams and Storage Space

A/N: You guys have no idea how excited I was while writing this chapter. I actually forgot to do chapters and just kept writing, but I finally realized it and I split it up into three chapters! So share in my excitement and leave awesome reviews! And thank you everyone who reviewed the previous chapter! They are all appreciated :) So yeah, read it, like it, and review it!

* * *

To Appreciate Dreams and Storage Space

Sam lay in Carly's room staring at the wall. She was trying to sleep, but it wouldn't come. Her mind was running wild with the idea that she had seen Desmond. He was just walking down the street like any other innocent citizen of Seattle. But what if she just imagined him? She had thought it was Desmond kissing her when it was really Freddie, so it was possible, right? But she couldn't imagine that shiver she felt when he bumped her.

Sam groaned and laid on her back, ignoring her brain when it yelled at her that it was bad for the baby. She didn't want to think about the kiss either. It was...amazing, but it was Freddie!  
_  
You, Sam, are bad for him. All Puckett women are bad for guys like him. So just back away and let him find someone like Carly._

Sam shut her eyes when she heard her mother's voice sounding off in her ears. She just wanted to sleep in peace.

* * *

Freddie stared blankly at the TV, not paying attention to whatever show was on. He couldn't stop thinking about what he did. He had kissed Sam. And she had kissed him back. Freddie couldn't stand it anymore. He had been wanting to ask her out again for so long, but everytime he'd get close, something would happen. Carly would come in and say they had a doctor's appointment, Freddie's mom would call him away from some ridiculous cleaning ritual, a few times Sam would even fall asleep while he was talking.

He stood up and walked out of the apartment and went into Carly's. Carly was on the couch eating some ice cream. "Where's Sam?" Freddie asked.

"Well hello to you too." Carly said while giving him a weird look.

Freddie sighed. "I'm sorry. I just really need to talk to Sam right now."

"She's upstairs in my room."

Freddie held in a groan. "Do you think she fell asleep?"

Carly shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe, she did seem pretty tired while we were eating." Carly frowned as she tapped the spoon against her nose. "I think something was bothering her too cause she was really quiet."

Freddie hoped he hadn't made her uncomfortable with the kiss. He knew he should've waited before doing anything like that considering all that she had been through. "Do you mind if I go see her?"

Carly shook her head. "Go ahead. Maybe if she's awake you can see what's bugging her. She's starting to make me worry."

Freddie took Carly's suggestion and walked up the stairs to Carly's room. He opened the door quietly and from the small light that was still on, Freddie could see Sam's form on the extra bed they had put in the room. She was asleep.

He walked in and turned on a light to be able to see better. He sat on the couch, right across from her bed and watched her. How could anyone want to hurt her?

Sam whimpered in her sleep, grabbing some of the blankets and squeezing them. She started squeezing her eyes and her face contorted into pain.

Freddie quickly stood and was by her side in an instant. "Sam? Sam, are you all right?"

Sam turned her head violently to the other side and let out a small cry. "No..."

* * *

"_Sam, you're...wonderful."_  
_  
Sam blushed before leaning forward and pulling Freddie's head towards her for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight while they kissed. This is what she wanted. Freddie to be hers and she be Freddie's. _

"_You belong to nobody but me."_  
_  
That wasn't Freddie's voice. Sam froze and pulled back. Freddie wasn't there anymore. It was Desmond. He smiled before grabbing the back of her head and forcing their lips together._  
_  
Sam fought him. She hit his chest as she pulled away as much as she could. Where was Freddie? Where did he go?_

"_Stop fighting. You're going to hurt our baby."_  
_  
She stopped. She didn't want Desmond anywhere near her, but she knew he would hurt _her _baby if she didn't do what he said. She couldn't fight him like she normally could. She was too weak._

"_Push Sam! Keep pushing! I see the head!"_  
_  
Sam looked around. She was in a hospital room. A delivery room actually. She felt an intense pain go through her body. She was in labor._

"_Push, Sam. It's time for you to give me my baby."_  
_  
Sam looked at the person next to her. Desmond. She felt the blood drain from her face. He couldn't be here. Not now._

"_Congratulations! It's a boy!" the doctor said as he held up the baby._  
_  
Sam stared at the baby. It couldn't be a boy. "No..."_

"_Sam! Where are you? I can't find you!"_  
_  
Sam heard Freddie's voice. "I'm here Freddie! You have to find me! Please! Help me!" she wasn't in the hospital room anymore. She was in the __nursery again._

"_I'm sorry Sam! I don't know where you are."_  
_  
Sam felt the tears running down her face. "But you promised. You promised you'd find me."_

"_He'll never find you, Sam. He broke his promise." a little boy stood in front of her._  
_  
Sam stared at the boy. He had green eyes, just like Desmond. In fact, he actually looked exactly like Desmond, except for his blonde hair. Just like her own hair._

"_Even if I was a girl, Desmond would always be my real daddy. Not Freddie Benson." the little boy said, slowly walking up to Sam._  
_  
Sam fell to her knees with the tears still coming out. "No...this can't happen...please, Freddie. Find me..."_

_

* * *

_

"Sam? Come on, Sam, wake up!"

Sam's eyes shot open. She gasped loudly, grabbing Freddie's arm and squeezing it. She could feel the wetness from the tears on her cheeks.

"Shh, it's all right...it was just a dream." Freddie whispered as he brushed away a few of the tears that were still coming down.

"Freddie...you couldn't...you couldn't find me." Sam said as she took quick breaths.

"I'll always find you, Sam. I promise." Freddie sat on the bed and pulled Sam into a hug.

Sam closed her eyes and cried. She didn't really understand anymore why she cried, she just did. Maybe it was because of fear. Fear of Desmond, the one man she was actually afraid of. Just because Freddie said he'd always find her didn't meant Desmond couldn't find her either.

* * *

"Carly! Guess what I discovered!" Spencer exclaimed as he ran out of his room and stopped by the stairs.

Carly jumped a little and turned to look at Spencer. "What?" her voice had a laugh.

"If you flush the toilet five times in a row it makes this weird gurgling noise and some green stuff comes up!"

Carly made a disgusted face. "That's _not_ supposed to happen."

"Oh...I'll call the plumber in the morning then."

They heard two pairs of footsteps coming down. It was Sam and Freddie. Freddie held Sam close to him, almost as if he were supporting her.

"Hey, I didn't know you were awake. Is everything all right?" Spencer asked, making sure to keep his voice soft.

Sam just nodded her head, not saying anything or looking at them.

Freddie gave Sam a slightly worried look. "Sam's going to sleep over with me. Is that all right?" he asked Spencer and Carly.

Carly stood up with a frown on her face. "Sure, but did something happen?"

"No...nothing happened." Freddie guided Sam down the rest of the stairs and to the door. "We'll see you guys in the morning." he said before he left their apartment and headed to his apartment.

Spencer looked at Carly with a smile on his face. Carly frowned even more. "Why are you smiling? Sam looked really upset and so did Freddie. How could you be smiling!"

Spencer just grinned even more. "Cause they looked so cute together."

Carly rolled her eyes and sat back down, finishing the rest of her ice cream.

* * *

"You want the door opened?" Freddie asked Sam who was sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard..

Sam shook her head. "I want it closed."

Freddie closed it, glad his mom wasn't home so he didn't have to give her an explanation. He sat beside her. "You want to talk about the dream?"

Sam shook her head and rested it on Freddie's shoulder. "I just want to sleep. But I can't. I can't even close my eyes without seeing him."

Freddie grabbed her hand.

Sam closed her eyes, painfully almost. "I saw him, Freddie. I really saw him. It wasn't a dream this time."

"When? Where?"

"Just a few blocks from here...while we were walking to get some food this evening."

"Did you tell anyone?" you could hear the urgency in Freddie's voice.

Sam shook her head. "I don't want him to find out and end up hurting someone."

"But the police-"

"Took five months to find me."

Freddie didn't say anything else.

"I'm scared he's going to find me, Freddie. He'll find me and take my baby away."

Freddie hugged her. "I'll help make sure that doesn't happen." he didn't promise though. He didn't know if he could keep a promise like that.

Sam slowly adjusted herself until she was lying under his covers. Freddie got up and kissed her forehead without thinking twice. "Goodnight Sam."

Sam tried to not let the small kiss freeze her brain. "You're leaving?"

"No, I was just going to sleep on the couch."

"Can...can you sleep here? I don't really want to be alone..."

Freddie gave her a small smile. "All right." he grabbed a pillow from the bed and the blanket that was on the end and laid it on the floor, making a small bed for himself. He laid down and  
closed his eyes.

"Freddie?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks. For everything you've done for me. I lo...I appreciate you."

Freddie opened his eyes and his face lit up with a huge smile. "No problem, Sam. I appreciate you too."

* * *

Sam opened her eyes when she felt the sunlight hitting her face. The curtains and blinds were pulled back. She looked around the room, trying to remember where she was. She remembered as soon as she looked down at the Galaxy Wars sheets she was sleeping on. She held her head, feeling a headache coming, and looked over at the clock. It was eleven forty eight in the morning.

Sam swore. She was late for school! Like ridiculously late! She swung her legs over the bed and stood as fast as she could manage. She couldn't believe Freddie didn't wake her up! He knew she couldn't miss another day of school! Especially considering it was going to be the last week _next_ week!

The door opened and Marissa came in. She was about to say something, but Sam interrupted her.

"Go ahead, freak out! I slept here last night and Freddie slept in here on the floor, but I swear we didn't do anything you wouldn't want your little Fredbear doing. But I really need to get to school right now."

"I already knew you slept here. Freddie told me this morning. And I freaked out mostly because Freddie slept on the hard floor. Do you know how bad that is for his back?"

Sam blinked a little at Mrs. Benson. So...she wasn't freaking out like she imagined.

"I was going to wake you up already since I've got some food on the table. Are you hungry?"

Sam's stomach grumbled in response. She followed Mrs. Benson out to the dining room. Freddie was at the table already, eating...green eggs?

"What is that?" Sam pointed at the horrible excuse of eggs.

"Eggs, cooked with spinach." Freddie said as he put a forkful in his mouth.

Sam made a face while Freddie just smiled, his mouth full of eggs. He pulled out the chair next to him and patted it, wanting Sam to sit next to him.

Sam sat next to him and stared at the plate in front of her as Freddie piled the green eggs. "My mom said we could skip school today. It's Friday, anyways. There isn't a lot of work. I texted Carly though and she said if there _was_ any work, she'd bring it home for us."

Sam stared at the green eggs, then at Mrs. Benson who was doing something in the kitchen. "Who feeds their kid this stuff?" she muttered as she picked at the eggs.

"Stop complaining and eat up." Marissa said. "I'm going down to the store, Freddie. Do you need anything?"

"Some regular eggs." Sam said

Mrs. Benson glared at Sam. "Let's see who'll be the one complaining when somebody's cholesterol level is off the charts!"

Sam scowled at Mrs. Benson.

"Um, no...I don't need anything." Freddie answered.

"Okay...please be careful, Freddie."

"Mom, I'm just going to be here with Sam."

"I know." Mrs. Benson with a glare directed towards Sam. She kissed the top of Freddie's head and walked out of the apartment.

"Didn't you two have some kind of...weird connection at the hospital?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders as she lifted the fork with eggs and stared at it in suspicion. "Once in a lifetime thing and we definitely aren't going to talk about it either."

Freddie shook his head, but watched Sam as she uneasily put the eggs in her mouth. As soon as she pulled out her fork, her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my meatball...this stuff is amazing!" she dug her fork in the eggs and ate several healthy mouthfuls.

Freddie laughed. "It's probably the only good thing my mom cooks."

Sam smiled, her mouth full of eggs. "No chiz!"

Within seconds, her plate was empty and she was serving herself more. She looked at Freddie's plate which still had a few bunches of eggs. "You going to eat that?"

Freddie shook his head as he grabbed his plate and dumped the rest on her plate. By the time he finished his soy milk, Sam had finished all the eggs. Freddie picked up the plates and put them in the sink.

"Why did you let me sleep through school, Fredicini?"

"I thought you could use the sleep. You've been looking really tired lately. I kind of figured you haven't been getting good sleep."

Sam bit her lip. It was true. Every night she had a nightmare.

"How did you sleep last night?" Freddie asked carefully.

Sam squinted her eyes in thought. "Good...I went to sleep as soon as I closed my eyes and I can't remember waking up in the middle of the night either."

"Yeah, you look like you did get a lot of sleep." Freddie poured himself more milk. "Can I talk to you about something?"

Sam nodded her head as she stole Freddie's glass and drank the milk. She grimaced. She hated soy milk.

"What are we doing?"

Sam frowned. "Um...sitting at a dining table and talking?"

"No...I mean...'we' as in a couple. That kiss yesterday...you kissed me back. Do you want to become an item or not? Because I'm starting to get really confused with this game we're playing."

Sam set the glass down with a thud. "I don't want to talk about this, Freddie." she stood up and stared walking to the living room.

"Stop, Sam. We need to talk about this." Freddie said as he grabbed her wrist.

Sam turned around to stare at him. "No we don't. Just leave everything alone." she pulled her wrist out of Freddie's hand and sat on the couch.

Freddie sat on the coffee table across from her. "I'm not going to leave everything alone. Now we're going to talk about this, even if you don't want to. And you're not going to run out in the middle of it, understand?"

Sam crossed her arms and gave Freddie a cold stare.

"Good. Listen to me, Sam. I _really_ like you. More than I've ever liked anyone. This is real. I know it is because it hasn't gone away and it won't, no matter how much you pick on me or call me names. Please, Sam. Let me _love _you."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Freddie. You _can't_ love me." Sam said quietly, looking away from his eyes.

"Why not?"

"Because you have a future!" Sam yelled, making Freddie jump. She stood up and towered over him. "I don't want any random guy anymore! Whoever I get with is now going to have be in it for _life, _because of this kid! You can't do that to yourself! You can't throw away your future for me and this kid! You won't even be her real dad, so don't even try! And don't even try throwing in the fact that I'd be throwing away whatever future I had before this kid came along! So just leave me alone! Loving me is bad for you! _I'm_ bad for you!"

Freddie stood up and stared at Sam. "Do you honestly think that? Or are you just scared?"

Sam swallowed hard.

"Sam, please. I'm right here. I don't know what my future is going to be, but I know whatever it is, you're included and so is the baby. The two of you." Freddie said as he tenderly cupped her chin.

Sam stared in Freddie's eyes. "Freddie, you don't-"

"I know exactly what I'm talking about, Sam."

"Serious?"

Freddie smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "Serious." he said before kissing her on the lips.

* * *

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" Freddie asked as he looked at his calendar on his phone.

"Sleeping. I don't want to do anything at night. Can't we do something in the afternoon?" Sam replied.

"Saturday afternoon I've got a doctors appointment."

"For?" Sam had a tinge or worry in it.

"They just want to be sure the scar is healing like it should be and there isn't an infection. No big deal."

The door opened and Spencer and Carly came in to find Freddie and Sam on their couch. Spencer frowned. "How did you two get in?"

Sam pulled a bobby-pin out of her hair. "I picked the lock with this.

Spencer tossed his keys on the coffee table. "I really need to give you guys your own key." he mumbled.

Carly set down her backpack before sitting next to Sam on the couch. "So what did you guys do all day?"

"Nothing." Sam said with a huge smile.

"Just hung out." Freddie said with an equally wide grin.

"Okay...you guys want a drink?" Carly asked as she got up.

"Tea." Freddie said.

"Oystamato juice." Sam said.

"So are we going to tell them?" Freddie asked as he played with Sam's fingers that were laying on her stomach.

"Tell them what?"

"Sam."

"I'm just joking! But seriously, I don't think we should tell them."

"Why not?"

"Just let them figure it out on their own. Besides, they're the Shay's. They'll take forever to figure it out." Sam leaned her head on Freddie's shoulder and let him rub her stomach. She loved it.

"I knew it! I knew it! Carly! You owe me twenty bucks!" Spencer yelled suddenly.

Carly let out a small scream while Freddie and Sam jumped. "What? What happened? Why do I owe you twenty bucks?"

Spencer grinned and turned to look at Sam and Freddie. "You guys are dating." he said in a sing-song voice.

"Didn't you say they'd take forever to figure it out?" Freddie whispered to Sam with a smirk.

"You guys are dating?" Carly nearly screeched.

"Yes, Carls! Announce it to the whole world, why don't you!" Sam yelled, throwing her hands in the air. She stopped when she saw Carly typing away at her phone. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm tweeting this!"

"No, Carly don't-!" Freddie and Sam said simultaneously.

"Too late." Carly said with a victorious grin. She pulled out twenty bucks and handed it to Spencer."You guys bet on us?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah. Carly said it'd take you guys long to get together, but last night after you guys left, I said within a week."

Freddie chuckled as he pulled Sam into his arms and let her rest against him. It felt so natural.

"So...you guys are dating." Carly said as she sat on the coffee table.

Sam could tell she was trying her best not to let out a girly squeal. "Bet you didn't think we'd be dating two year ago."

"Not two years ago, but if you asked me a year ago, I'd say it's possible. Freddie was the one that made it obvious though."

Sam laughed while Freddie blushed. "Well I'm glad the nub made it obvious."

Freddie smiled while Carly started talking about the latest gossip from school. His smile just grew even more when he felt the baby give a little kick right where his hand was. He knew Sam felt it to, because her smile grew just as much as his, and she covered his hand with hers.

* * *

"Here it is, Mr. Simon. Every month it's going to be five hundred dollars. Not including the electricity bill."

Desmond looked around the small warehouse as Peter, the owner showed it to him. "How often do people come down here?"

Peter shrugged as he walked to the middle of the small warehouse. "People don't really come here unless they have a warehouse of their own here. And even then, the warehouses are usually used as storage and they hardly come in the first place."

Desmond nodded his head. "Are there any security cameras?"

"Just one at the entrance. Do you need me to install one right outside of yours or something?"

"No, not at all."

"All right then. Just sign these papers and this place is yours. The bill will be sent to the address you put down and here are your keys."

Desmond signed on the dotted line, but put Simon Halavaty. He grabbed the keys from Peter and shook his hand. "It was nice doing business with you."

Peter nodded his head and started walking to the exit. He stopped right before he walked out. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan on doing with this? I guess you could kind of say I'm nosey and like to ask first time customers what they're keeping."

Desmond smiled graciously. "I'm going to be storing some old baby stuff."


	13. The Elevator Will Never Be the Same

A/N: Real quick reply to SeddieThunder - I didn't forget about Melanie, so don't worry :) I actually mention her in this chapter as you'll see. Oh and you hit the spot about Sam's mom, but don't worry. She still has a role to play!

To everyone else, enjoy this chapter! I'm actually updating early because I'm going out of town later in the evening, so count yourselves lucky! I had a lot of fun writing this one and I'm pretty happy about it. Thanks for the reviews and leave some more after you read this next chapter! So without further ado, the new chapter!

* * *

The Elevator Will Never Be the Same

School was out, summer vacation was here, Sam was officially eight months, and she and Freddie had also been dating officially for a month. Just because they had been dating for a month didn't mean they had taken their first 'date' as a couple. Their busy schedules had prevented it. Time had finally been made though and they were going to go out Friday night, after they wrapped up iCarly.

During the show, Sam was going to tell everyone she was taking a break. Her doctor told her that she needed to get as much rest as possible before the baby came and that meant she couldn't do the show anymore. Gibby was going to be her temporary replacement.

The whole day, though, Sam had been feeling horrible. She was getting a pain in her lower back, but the doctor said that was normal. Was it normal for it to hurt so much and this often, too? At first, it would come every few hours, but now it was getting down to happening once every hour. Sam was afraid it was just going to get worse.

Sam felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She answered it after seeing who it was. "Hey, Melanie." Sam answered.

"Sam! The show's starting in five minutes!" Freddie yelled from upstairs.

"I'll be right up!" Sam yelled back to Freddie.

_"Hey Sam. Just wanted to see how you're doing. You about to start the show?" _Melanie asked.

"Yeah." Sam said through clenched teeth. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach. That was the _second_ time in one hour. Something wasn't right.

_"Are you sure you're fine? It sounds like something's hurting."_

"Yes Melanie! I'm fine! Just a pain. The doctor said it's normal."

_"Positive?"_

"Yes. I've got to go."

_"Maybe you should tell someone that-"_

"I'll tell someone after the show. I'll talk to you later." Sam hung up before Melanie could say anything else.

Sam took a deep breath as she leaned on the couch for support. This was starting to get ridiculous. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to do the show.

A loud crash of thunder sounded outside and it scared her. This was the heaviest thunderstorm Seattle had in the past five years. Sam pulled herself together. She needed to do the show tonight.

She stared at the stairs and knew she wasn't going to be able to go up those things. The elevator looked pretty nice at the moment. Sam pushed the button and walked in. The elevator went up to the third floor without any protests.

Sam walked into the iCarly studio. Freddie was already getting his camera ready and Carly was jumping around, stretching herself before the show.

"What took you so long? We were about to start the show without you." Carly said as Sam made her way next to her.

"Melanie called." Sam answered.

"Are you feeling all right? You look kind of...pale." Freddie asked, stopping her by grabbing her arm.

Sam nodded her head and pulled her arm out of his grasp. "I'm perfectly fine, Fredweird."

"If you want, we could go out some other time."

"No way. We are getting this done _tonight_. No more postponing." Sam said as she stood next to Carly.

"All right, just don't do any crazy stunts during the show, all right?" Freddie said.

Sam laughed. "I won't do anything that might scare you, Frederly."

Freddie smiled, "In 5, 4, 3, 2..."

"Hello computer world!" Carly and Sam said simultaneously.

"I'm Carlotta!"

"And I'm Samantha!"

"And this is iCarly!"

Sam held in a grimace as she pushed the applause button on her remote. "Today is going to be a very special webisode." Sam said.

"Yeah, Sam here is going to be busy for a couple of weeks. She's going to have to take a small two month break after this episode."

"But the show must still go on." Sam said in a mock serious tone.

"Yes, it shall! That's why Gibby is going to be the guest star for the next few months!"

Sam pressed the applause button.

"So we're going to start the show by showing you guys a new clip. This clip is from-"

A loud thunder crashed once again and this time it made the whole building quiver. The lights even flickered slightly. Sam held in a groan as she felt another sharp pain. One worse than all the others.

"Whoa, that was intense. It was as if it was right outside the window." Carly said, talking about the thunder. "We still have signal?"

"Yeah, didn't lose it for a second. We're still live." Freddie said as he checked the laptop.

"All right. Sorry about that. We're in the middle of a huge thunderstorm right now and it's pretty crazy." Carly quickly explained.

"Anyways! Fredward, pull up that clip!" Sam said as she drastically pointed to the screen.

Freddie pulled up the clip and watched Sam as she hunched over a little and held her stomach. He could see a small wince from pain. He was about to ask if she was feeling all right, but the clip ended.

The show continued on. For thirty minutes actually. Freddie noticed that as she show continued, Sam was losing her enthusiasm and was starting to look worse. He always saw her grimacing away from the camera and viewers.

* * *

"Do you think the rain is going to let up anytime soon?" Linda asked as she walked away from the store window and towards Desmond where he was sitting behind the cash register.

"I don't think it is. You're sure there isn't a radio in here?"

"Positive." Linda said as she leaned against the counter.

"The battery in this flashlight is going to die soon." Desmond pointed out. "Any extra batteries?" he got up and stood next to Linda. It was amazing how her features looked in this lighting.  
If she had blonde hair, she would've been perfect.

"Um, I think there's some in the back. Let me check."

Desmond watched her walk into the back area of the store before delving into his thoughts. In a month he was going to collect what was his. That meant he also needed to look for another girl to take care of the child. Linda didn't have blonde hair and she was older than what he usually preferred. He could dye it. But he also had to take care of Stinger and Sam before he could do any of those things.

"Found some!" Linda declared, bringing Desmond out of his thoughts. She set the batteries on the counter and leaned against it.

Desmond smiled as he stood closer to her. "Glad you did. Wouldn't want to have been left in the dark."

Linda smiled. "That would've been creepy."

"Yes, it would've." Desmond said huskily as he neared Linda even more.

Linda frowned and took a step away. "What are you doing?"

Desmond stood in front of her, cornering her by the wall and counter. "You have no idea how beautiful you look in this lighting."

Linda blushed and looked away. "Thanks." she said as she started looking for a route of escape.

"Let me see your eyes." he whispered.

Linda looked up into his green eyes.

Desmond smiled. The perfect hue of blue. He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

Linda's eyes opened wide. She put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. "What was that for?" she hissed.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't stop myself. I've never seen anyone quite as exquisite as you." Desmond said, taking a step back and looking down to appear as if he felt guilty.

"Simon, you're married with a baby on its way. Really not the best time to have an affair."

Desmond leaned forward and kissed her again, but with more force. He pulled back after a few seconds. "They wouldn't have to know. It'd be our secret." he whispered in her ear.

Linda breathed in deeply. She had to admit, Desmond was handsome, but he was married! "But...you're wife..."

"Isn't here right now." he said, beginning to nip on her neck. "She'll never find out, trust me."

Linda couldn't resist anymore. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Desmond's waist.

But Desmond pulled back. "Look, it's sprinkling. You can go home now if you want."

Linda caught her breath and looked out the window. "Oh...um, okay." she quickly side-stepped away from Desmond and grabbed her rain coat and keys. "I'll see you later, Simon." she  
said a bit awkwardly before walking out.

Desmond smiled. "You most definitely will." he said as soon as she was gone.

* * *

"So don't use cheese as your toilet water," Sam said.

"And don't let your cat ruin your favorite teddy bear!" Carly added.

"We'll see you guys later!" they said together before repeating bye over and over until Freddie turned off the camera.

"We are clear." Freddie said as he set the camera down.

"Thank goodness!" Sam said as she slouched into a chair.

"Are you feeling all right?" Carly asked.

Sam nodded her head and closed her eyes. Another headache. Great, just what she needed.

"If you say so...you guys ready for your date?" Carly asked with a huge grin.

"Sure." Sam mumbled.

Carly laughed. "I'll be downstairs getting the camera ready for when you leave."

Freddie sauntered up to Sam as soon as Carly left. "Are you sure you're fine?" Freddie asked.

"Yeah, my back is just really killing me right now." Sam winced and held her stomach. "This kid is going nuts, right now." she mumbled.

"Okay...well we better go ahead and go while it's sprinkling." Freddie said as he helped Sam from the seat.

Freddie guided her to the stairs, but she stopped. "Fredbag, you should know by now that I can _not_ walk on those things. I have to take the elevator."

"Wouldn't it be better since there's a lot of lightning outside? There's been tons of reports of electricity going out."

"It'll be fine, Frederly. Don't worry so much." Sam said, already waiting for the elevator to come up.

"Whatever you say..." Freddie said as they walked into the elevator and pushed the button for the main floor.

There was a loud thunder and a bang. Sam let out a small scream from being scared. The elevator jerked a little before stopping. The lights turned off. Freddie looked around the elevator in shock. This was not happening.

"Hey, is anyone in the elevator?" Spencer called out.

"Spencer? Me and Sam are in here! What's going on!" Freddie yelled back.

"Oh…well the powers out and I don't know when it's going to come back on. I had the radio on and powers been going out all around Seattle. The city doesn't know when they'll be able to come and fix it!"

"Ugh, this janks." Sam grumbled as she leaned against the wall.

"Don't worry, you guys. We'll get you out of there really soon!" Carly yelled to be heard.

Sam didn't pay attention to Carly as she held her stomach and inhaled sharply. "Ow, that _really_ hurt."

"Sam, how long have you been in pain like this?" Freddie asked as he held Sam up. It looked as if she was about to tumble over.

"I don't know...all day?"

"Why haven't you told anyone?" Freddie hissed. "Something could be happening with the baby!"

"I told Melanie! Freddie, I-!" Sam let out a cry of pain and squeezed Freddie's hand tightly.

Freddie winced, feeling his hand go numb. "Guys, is there a flashlight in here or something?"

"Um...yeah! In the little compartment by the buttons there's a flashlight, a first aid kit and an inflatable floaty." Carly answered.

Freddie made sure Sam could stand on her own before side stepping and reaching the compartment. "Um, why do you guys have a floaty?"

"It's actually an inflatable life raft!" Spencer corrected.

"Again, why?"

"I don't know! Spencer thought it'd be cool."

"There could've been a flood!" Spencer defended.

Freddie shook his head as he put the folded life raft and first aid kit on the ground and turned on the flashlight. He got it on and beamed the light in Sam's direction. She looked pale and was sweating. His eyes traveled to the floor and he saw a red puddle on the floor. It looked like it was dripping from Sam's legs. "Sam...you're bleeding."

Sam let out a loud gasp. "Freddie, it hurts!" she yelled.

"Oh crap." Freddie held on to the flashlight and hurried to Sam's side, easing her down on the ground. "Spencer! Carly! How soon are we getting out of here?" Freddie yelled.

"Well, I just got off the phone with the fire department...there's a lot of accidents, and everyone's busy...and since I sort of have a reputation...it'll probably be a while. Why? Do you gotta pee?" Spencer asked with a laugh.

"No, it's-"

"A baby's fixing to be born in your elevator, Shay!" Sam yelled.

"You're in labor?" Spencer and Carly yelled.

"Yes, she's in labor!" Freddie yelled back.

"But Sam, you're only eight months!"

"Don't you think I know that, Carly?" Sam snapped.

"Sam, you need to chill for me. Take deep breaths and chill." Freddie said, trying to take his own advice.

Sam closed her eyes and did as Freddie said. She grabbed his hand and held it tight.

"Okay, have you been timing her contractions?" Spencer asked.

"No. We kind of just found out."

"Um...then you're going to need to see how far dilated she is."

"Dila...I am not checking that!"

"Freddie, just do it!" Sam yelled at him. She was actually crying from pain.

"But...I don't even know how it's supposed to look like!"

"It looks like...well...there's a little..." Spencer started explaining.

"Oh my gosh, I'm going to be sick." they heard Carly mumble.

"Just make sure nothing is opened more than ten centimeters!" Spencer didn't even try finishing the explanation.

Freddie looked at Sam. "Are you sure?"

Sam bit her lip and nodded her head. "Just get it done with."

"Well...I think you're going to have to take off your tights...and the sk...I think you know what I mean." Freddie handed her the life raft. "You can use this?"

Sam grabbed the folded life raft and began to shed the lower half of her clothes, all the while, keeping the life raft wrapped around her. She let out a gasp of pain and leaned her head against the wall. "Can't I have any pain meds or something?"

"There isn't anything in the first aid kit that you can have, Sam. Sorry!" Spencer said. "So how far along is she?"

Freddie moaned. "I haven't checked yet." he took a deep breath and looked Sam in the eye. "This is completely professional, okay? I'm not even really going to be looking."

Sam nodded her head, keeping silent.

Freddie checked and felt as if he was about to pass out. There was so much blood..."She's like eight centimeters!"

"Can't you make her stop dilating?" Carly suggested, trying her best not to have a panic attack.

"How the heck am I supposed to do that, Shay? You want to switch places and be the one giving freaking birth right now?" Sam yelled, squeezing Freddie's hand.

"Ow, ow, ow...okay, Sam, let's just calm down. Everything's going to be all right."

"Freddie, start timing contractions!" Spencer yelled.

"All right. Sam, just tell me when...ow, ow, all right, you're having a contraction!" Freddie said as he tried pulling his hand out of Sam's grip. The contraction finally ended with a loud yell from Sam. It lasted about a minute and a few seconds.

Freddie shook his hand, trying to get feeling in it again when he looked at the floor again. "Guys, is she supposed to be bleeding a lot?"

"No, please tell me she isn't!" Carly cried.

Freddie bushed some of Sam's hair back. "You're going to be just fine, Sam. Just...keep doing what you're doing. You're doing great."

"I don't want this to happen right now, Freddie. I can't do this." she whispered as tears fell from her closed eyes.

"This kid is counting on you, Sam. You have to."

Sam was breathing in short breaths. "But it hurts like chiz."

"I'm so sorry, Sam. I wish I could do something, but I can't."

"Freddie, you..." Sam stopped in mid-sentence and screamed, squeezing Freddie's hand once again.

"Spencer, she's having another contraction!"

"That's two minutes apart! How far dilated is she now?"

Freddie did a quick check. "She's at ten!"

"Freddie, you're going to have to do the delivery!" Carly yelled.

"What?" Sam and Freddie yelled simultaneously.

"I just got off the phone with the hospital again and the soonest they can come here is in two hours! Your mom's a nurse! Don't you know how to deliver a baby?"

"No! It never occurred to her to teach me how to deliver one during tennis practice!"

"Ahh! Freddie, just do it!" Sam yelled.

"But-!"

"Benson, I swear if you don't deliver this baby I'm going to hang you by your toenails once someone else delivers it! And I'm not joking!"

"Freddie, you're going to have to be sure that the baby's _head_ comes first, not the feet." Spencer instructed.

"How do you know so much about delivering babies?" Freddie yelled.

"I took a class."

Freddie rolled his eyes as he put on the surgical gloves he found in the first aid kit. "You okay?" he asked Sam.

Sam shook her head. "This baby is going to be premature and born in an elevator with just a flashlight and delivered by a guy who knows _nothing_ about giving birth. Of course I'm not okay!" Sam snapped.

Sam started yelling with a contraction and Freddie checked. "Okay...I think I see a head...oh I'm going to be sick...does she start pushing?"

"Next contraction!"

Freddie looked at Sam and could see how pale she was. The puddle of blood around her was starting to grow bigger. She was losing too much blood. "Just rest, Sam. Don't push yourself too hard."

Sam nodded her head and kept her eyes closed in pain. Her breathing started to quicken when a contraction started to come. She screamed.

"Push, Sam! Start pushing!" Freddie coached.

"What do you think I'm doing nub!"

"Don't stop breathing, Sam. Try and curl up too!" Spencer threw in his two cents.

Sam followed their instructions and lifted her body into an almost sit-up position.

"Keep pushing! I can see the head!" Freddie exclaimed.

Sam laid her head back when the contraction ended. She kept her eyes closed, trying her best to stay conscious. It hurt so much...she just wanted to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come when she felt another contraction.

"Come on, Sam! You can do this! Keep pushing!"

"But I can't!"

"Yes you can! Push!"

Sam let out a scream.

In that moment, four things happened. One: the elevator jerked and started moving. Two: Freddie leaned over and puked. Three: a baby landed in Freddie's hands. Four: the baby stayed silent with its eyes closed.


	14. Green Eyes

A/N: You guys are great! Haha, you have no idea how excited I was at how many reviews I got for the last chapter. That's why I felt so bad when I couldn't put up and update last week. I tried my best to get this chapter up, but then when I read it...I kind of was struck with a whole new idea and ended up writing the whole thing over and I couldn't seem to get it just right...until now. Hope you guys like this chapter. Read it then leave a nice review please. :)

Oh, almost forgot to mention, there's probably going to be a few more chapters before this story finally ends. Sad, I know, but I like giving my readers a heads up about this kind of stuff. Okay, now I'll let you guys read the chapter!

* * *

Green Eyes

Freddie wiped his mouth with his shoulder and stared at the baby in his hands. It was so...tiny. From what Freddie knew, the baby was supposed to be crying. This baby wasn't. It was completely still, unmoving. Freddie squinted his eyes when his brain told him he saw the baby flexing its fist. He wasn't sure if he really saw that...

"Why isn't the baby crying?" Sam asked. She was trying to make the tears stop falling.

Freddie looked up, meeting her eyes. He didn't know why the baby wasn't crying. He didn't know if it was even alive.

The elevator doors opened and Spencer and Carly rushed in. Spencer didn't say anything as he pushed Freddie aside, grabbed the baby, cut the umbilical cord and started wiping the baby with a towel he dipped in a bowl of water Carly brought in. "Freddie, give me your sweater right now!" Spencer demanded as he continued cleaning the baby's airways.

Freddie took it off as quickly as he could and handed his sweater to Spencer. He promptly wrapped the baby up in the sweater.

"Spencer, what's wrong with my baby!" Sam cried as Spencer stood up.

"Freddie, get Sam down to the lobby. Me and Carly are going to be waiting for you guys in the car. We need to get them to the hospital _now_."Spencer said, already rushing to the door.

"But my baby!"

The door shut and both Carly and Spencer were gone.

Freddie remembered Spencer's instructions and pushed the button for the lobby floor. He looked down at his hands covered in blood. It was Sam's blood. He didn't even try to not step on his own vomit or Sam's blood as he sat down beside Sam and pulled her into a hug. She cried into his chest as she held onto him as if he were a lifeline. She didn't try pushing him away and complain about his puke breath.

"Shh...it's going to be all right...you did great Sam. You really did."

"Was it a girl?" Sam whispered.

Between all the commotion going on, Freddie hadn't paid attention. "I didn't see."

Freddie could hear Sam's breath getting shallower, her cries weakening. "Sam?"

She didn't answer him.

Freddie grabbed her face. Her eyes were closed and she looked so pale.

The elevator doors opened to the lobby. Freddie struggled to get Sam standing and out of the elevator. Lewbert wasn't at his desk, so he couldn't yell at them.

As soon as they were out of the elevator, Spencer came running back in the lobby, the car parked right outside. He was soaking wet. The thunderstorm had gotten worse.

"How long has she been out?" Spencer asked as he picked up Sam and they started going outside to the car.

Freddie opened the back door to the car. "She just passed out. She'll be fine, right?" he climbed in and Spencer set Sam next to Freddie. Spencer never answered his question.

Carly was in the front holding the still quiet baby. She looked as if she was on the verge of tears. "The baby...he's not crying. I don't even think he's alive!"

Freddie froze. "It's a boy?" he asked in a near-whisper.

Carly looked at Freddie with tears in her eyes. She nodded her head slowly.

Spencer got in the drivers seat and sped off, completely ignoring the rising flood waters.

"Spencer, is Sam and the baby going to be all right?" Freddie demanded to know. He pulled an unconscious Sam close to him so she wouldn't be bouncing around in the car.

Spencer gripped the wheel tightly. "I don't know." he answered honestly.

Freddie swallowed hard. This wasn't supposed to happen like this. Why couldn't they just try this again and do everything differently? "Carly, let me have the baby."

Carly didn't argue as she handed him the small baby boy. Freddie held his tiny body in his hands. He bit his lip as he tried something, anything to make sure this baby really was alive. Freddie started to lightly tap his back.

The baby's eyes opened. Even in the dark lighting, Freddie could see the color of his eyes. Green. The baby promptly shut his eyes and let out small wail, definitely not sounding healthy.

"Was that the baby?" Spencer asked as he passed a red light and looked in the rear view mirror.

Freddie smiled. The baby was alive. Sam's baby boy was alive at this moment. "Yeah. It's Sam's baby."

* * *

Freddie held Sam's hand in the hospital room. She looked so pale and just lifeless. He wondered if this was how he looked when he fell into a coma. Did Sam feel this same hopelessness he felt right now?

The door opened and Carly came in. "Hey." she said softly, taking the seat next to Freddie.

"Hey," Freddie mumbled back, acknowledging her presence.

"Anything new?"

"No. Did you hear anything from the doctors?"

"They said Sam lost a lot of blood, but not enough to be too serious. She won't be needing a transfusion, just rest."

"And the baby?"

"They put him in an incubator since he was born a whole month and a half early. He's probably going to have to stay in the hospital until the original due date, just so the doctors can be sure everything developed fine."

Freddie gave Sam's hand a light squeeze. "You hear that, Sam? The baby's going to be just fine." Freddie whispered. "Where's Spencer?"

"Talking with Sherrie. But it sure did look like they were flirting."

Freddie furrowed his brows. "Sherrie?"

"Sam's nurse when you...um, when she was here the last time. She gets to be Sam's assigned nurse again."

Freddie nodded his head, accepting Carly's explanation.

There was a prolonged silence between Carly and Freddie, but they honestly didn't care. They were both sleepy and were starting to doze off.

Freddie had his eyes closed when Sam slowly started opening hers. "Freddie?"

Freddie quickly opened his eyes, as did Carly. "Hey, Sam." he said as he brought her hand to his lips for a light kiss.

Sam tried sitting up, but Carly stopped her. "The doctor said you need to take it easy. Don't try to sit up just yet. You did just give birth."

Sam grimaced at the reminder. "Where's my baby?" she asked. "Is she...?"

"Your baby's all right." Freddie said with a small smile.

"Can I see her?"

Carly got up. "I'll go ask." she said while walking out.

Freddie bit his lip, knowing what he needed to tell Sam. "Sam, the baby...it's a boy."

Sam took a quick breath. "What?"

"It's a-"

"No, don't say it again!" she snapped. Sam immediately pulled her hand away from Freddie's. "It can't be a boy. It was supposed to be a girl." she whispered.

The door opened and Carly came in followed by Spencer. "Hey, Sam! Glad you're awake!" Spencer said with a large smile.

Sam didn't say anything to him as she watched Sherrie roll a cart in with a baby. "Hey, Sam. Didn't think I'd see you here until at least a month." Sherrie said with a smile.

Sam didn't acknowledge what Sherrie said. "Is that my baby?" she asked softly.

Sherrie smiled. "Yeah. You've got a baby boy. Doctor's are running a few tests to make sure everything is all right, but they said you could see him for a few minutes before I have to take him back."

"Can I hold him?" Sam asked, not taking her eyes from the small creature in the incubator. He had so many wires attached to him. He was so tiny. Sam wondered how he even survived at all.

"Sorry, Sam. He's got to stay in the incubator for right now. But there's a little opening right here where you can hold his hand." Sherrie positioned the cart right next to Sam's bed. "I've got some other things to take care of. I'll be back to put the baby back in the nursery." Sherrie said as she started walking towards the door. Carly noticed Sherrie's hand lightly graze Spencer's arm, making his whole face turn a shade of red.

"You want a minute alone?" Freddie asked, standing from his seat.

Sam nodded her head, not once taking her eyes from the baby.

Freddie, followed by Carly and Spencer, walked out of the room. Sam felt a tear roll down her cheek as soon as the door closed. She stuck her in hand in the incubator and immediately, the baby reached out and grabbed her finger, holding it tightly.

Sam smiled and let out a breath of amazement. She sniffled. "You're a boy." she whispered softly to the baby. "I wanted to name my first baby boy after his daddy..." Freddie had told Sam he was in this for a long run, pretty much saying he'd become the baby's dad. But she didn't want to force something on Freddie when it wasn't even his responsibility. That wouldn't be fair to him, no matter how much he protested.

"I don't know what to call you baby." Sam wiped some tears from her eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen like this.

She looked at the baby more carefully. Even in the dim lighting of the hospital room, she could see how is nose looked. It looked just like Desmond's. She pulled her hand out of the baby's grip as if his touch burnt her. She stared at him. Everything in his face reminded her of Desmond. There wasn't a trace of her own features in him. She turned her head. Sam couldn't look at him without being reminded of Desmond.

She placed her hand on her stomach and closed her eyes. She had been carrying him for eight months and now here he was in front of her. Sam was amazed. Amazed that she had been carrying that little guy for so long and amazed that he looked nothing like her. She thought it was better when she couldn't see him, when she was still pregnant with him, when she could pretend he wasn't Desmond's baby.

The door opened and Sherrie came back in. "Did you have enough bonding time?" she asked.

Sam didn't open her eyes, hoping Sherrie would think she was asleep.

"Oh, she fell asleep." Sherrie said softly. "Let's go so your mommy can sleep." Sherrie whispered to Sam's baby as she rolled him out of the room.

Sam kept her eyes closed. Maybe if she kept them closed long enough, everything would be different once she opened them.

She heard the door open again. There was only one pair of footsteps this time.

"You aren't asleep, you can't fool me."

Sam turned her head and looked into the eyes of none other than Freddie Benson. "I'm tired. I want to go to sleep."

"All right." Freddie said, still staying in his seat.

"Aren't you leaving?" Sam couldn't keep the edge from her voice.

"Once you honestly answer me a question."

"What?" she snapped.

"Are you okay?"

Sam stared at him for a bit. She couldn't answer him. "Good night, Freddie." she said before turning her head away and closing her eyes.

He stood up and gave her a small kiss on her forehead. "Everything's going to be okay." he whispered in her ear.

Sam opened her eyes when he left. He was always saying that. 'Everything's going to be okay.' When _was_ everything going to be okay?

* * *

Carly leaned against the car window, staring at the rain that was now a drizzle. The car door opened in the back and Freddie came in. She turned around to look at him. "How's she doing?"

"Not good."

Spencer pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Bushwell Plaza. The flood waters had gone down a bit. "Maybe she's just tired."

Freddie had a feeling it was much deeper than just that. "Has anyone called Melanie to tell her what happened?" he asked.

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with her. She freaked out, but said she was going to try her best to get here tomorrow." Carly pursed her lips in thought for a quick moment. "Do you think we should tell Terri?"

Freddie let out a heavy sigh. "I don't think Sam wanted her to know."

"But that's her mom. Yeah, they're not talking right now, but...it's her mom." Carly said.

"It's Sam's decision." Freddie said. The tone he used made it clear the conversation wasn't open to discussion anymore. He still couldn't believe what Terri had told Sam the last she saw her. Sam had needed a mom more than ever in that moment and she got nothing from her biological mother.

"So who's cleaning the mess in the elevator?" Spencer asked.

* * *

_Sam was in a dark room, but she could see splotches of blue on the walls. __She turned around and there was boy there. He looked so familiar. She felt like she was supposed to know who he was, but she couldn't put a name to his face. Maybe it was because he didn't have a name._

"_You don't care for me. You don't even like me. I look too much like him. I'm going to grow up and be just like my real dad."the little boy said as he stared at Sam with his piercing green eyes._  
_  
Sam inhaled sharply. "No. You can't be like him."_  
_  
Desmond appeared behind the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing you can do. You've delivered, now I'm coming for you. And I wouldn't forget about Stinger either. I have a new child. I have no need for either of you."_

"_No! Leave Stinger alone! He's innocent, just like my child! My child is innocent and will be nothing like you!" Sam yelled at the top of her lungs, but it only came out as a whisper._  
_  
That's when it came to her. Grover. That was his name. That's what she was going to call him. The name of character from a kid's show. It screamed innocent. Maybe if his name was innocent, he'd stay innocent too._

"_It doesn't matter what you name him, he'll still be my child as well." Desmond said. He smiled at her._  
_  
She shivered as she saw his yellow teeth and could somehow smell his breath. Broccoli and Cheese._

_

* * *

_

Sam let out a loud gasp as she sat up in bed. She was in the hospital. She looked out the window. The sun was up, all traces of the thunderclouds were gone. It was morning. How long had she been asleep?

Freddie came in, holding a cup of coffee and a plate of eggs. "Hey you're up." he said with a smile. "Me and Carly came in a few minutes ago, but you were still asleep. Brought you a plate of eggs from the cafeteria." he said as he put the eggs on a tray and over her legs.

Sam didn't pick up her fork as she stared at the eggs on the plate. She didn't feel like eating. That dream had rattled her too much.

"Hey...you all right?" Freddie asked as he grabbed her hand.

Sam didn't look at her. "I'm fine." she said softly. "Just not hungry." she said, pushing the plate away.

"You sure? You look kind of pale."

"I said I'm fine." she snapped at him.

"All right. Sorry I asked." Freddie said, holding his hands up in surrender.

Grover. Sam remembered that from the dream. She liked that name. "Grover." she said softly to herself, testing the way it felt.

"What?" Freddie heard her mumbled something, but he didn't understand.

"Grover." Sam repeated, looking at Freddie this time. "His name is Grover Puckett."

Freddie smiled. "That's a great name."

Carly came in a few seconds later. "Good morning Sam!" she said in a cheery voice. "I stopped by the nursery and looked at the baby. He's so adorable! The cutest baby I have ever seen! I can't wait until we can hold him."

Sam forced a smile. She didn't think the baby was adorable. He had the face of Desmond. How could he be adorable?

"Sam's going to name him Grover Puckett." Freddie said sipping the coffee.

"Grover? Why Grover?"

"Because I like the way Grover sounds." Sam said.

"Then I guess Grover's a great name." Carly squinted her eyes in thought. "If you thought about it...Grover actually goes with how he looks. He just looks like a Grover."

"I still can't believe that baby popped out of you." Freddie said with a grin. "He looks like you, Sam."

"Can we just stop talking about him?" Sam said with a tinge of frustration.

"You don't want to talk about him?" Carly asked with a frown.

"No...look you guys, I really appreciate you two being here, but I'm really tired. I just want to sleep and relax. I don't want to think about anything right now."

"Then I guess we should get going then." Carly said a bit awkwardly.

"You need anything?" Freddie asked.

"Some sweats and some spaghetti. I hate the hospital food here."

"Got it. We'll be back later, Sam." Carly said as she gave Sam a hug and walked out.

Freddie turned to follow Carly out the door.

"Freddie, wait." Sam said before he could get any further.

Freddie turned to look at Sam, waiting for her to continue.

She hardly met his eyes. She kept her eyes on the eggs in front of her. "I'm sorry about last night...I know you were looking forward to going out...and you ended up delivering Grover..."

"It's all right. Sure, it may have been...really weird and just...weird...I'd do it again if we ever found ourselves in that kind of situation."

Sam let a small smile on her face. "Yeah, like there's a big chance that'll happen again."

Freddie smiled back. "Get some rest. I think they'll release you tomorrow if you get enough rest. Once you're released, then we'll go out on that date we've been trying to have for almost a year."

Sam watched Freddie leave. She'd like that, going out once she was released. Maybe that would help her forget everything for a moment, even Grover.

* * *

Dr. Garza walked into the small lab, putting on his doctor's coat. "Any results with the Puckett baby?" he asked the nurse. Her name was Monica...right?

"In just a few seconds...you know it's amazing the baby survived. He should've been dead by the time they came to the hospital."

"They all could've been dead, Monica, considering they were driving with high flooding. At least the flooding went down earlier this morning."

"True, and my name's Melissa."

Dr. Garza grimaced. He had been so close...

"Oh, here are the results." Melissa said as she pulled out a paper the machine gave to her. She handed it over to Dr. Garza.

Dr. Garza read it over, a grim look on his face. "I figured a miracle like this would be too good to be true."

Melissa leaned over to read the results. A frown appeared on her face. "Do you think she's going to have a bad reaction to the news?"

"What kind of mother wouldn't?" Dr. Garza asked as he walked out of the lab.

* * *

Melanie pulled out her phone as soon as she was in the taxi headed towards Seattle. As she dialed the number, she wondered if she should even be the one doing this.

"_What do you want?"_

Melanie cleared her throat when the person answered. "Morning Mom. How are you?" she started.

"_Melanie? What are you doing calling me so early?"_ Terri's voice depicted how annoyed she was at being awoken.

"I, um...just wanted to tell you...something...hey, so do you know how much it rained yesterday?" Melanie suddenly felt the urge to avoid the subject for as long as she could.

"_Melanie, if you don't tell me right now-"_

"Sam had her baby." Melanie blurted out. So much for avoiding the subject.

Melanie didn't hear anything from her mother. Instead, she heard the dial tone.

* * *

Desmond walked in Rosie's Baby Boutique shop early the next morning. The clouds had cleared away, the sun was shining, and Desmond was about to get what he wanted. He closed the shop door and locked it. There were still thirty minutes until opening time and Lisa wasn't there yet. She came in later in the morning.

He set the newspaper he had on the counter as he walked up and down the shelves, making sure everything was in stock. Satisfied, he went back to the counter and unfolded the newspaper. His eyes landed on a small portion of an article further in the newspaper. 'iCarly Star Gives Birth in Elevator'

Desmond's eyes widened as he flipped to the page. He read the small article twice. The baby had been delivered prematurely by Freddie Benson. There was still no word to the press on the health of the baby. This news changed everything.

He pulled out his wallet and stared at a small picture he always carried with him. "This one's for you, Mary Jo." he said to the picture. He pulled out the picture and put it in his pocket, not realizing he had pulled out his old ID for Desmond Halavaty as well, making it fall to the floor.


	15. Rising Grades

A/N: Once again I apologize for getting this chapter out so late. I got crazy busy with school and I couldn't find the time to sit down and edit this chapter. Finally found some free time though, so here it is! Oh, and I really didn't have the time to reply to the reviews for the last chapter, so I'll just say thank you everyone that reviewed! I'll do my super best to get the next chapter out sometime next week (target date - Wednesday). If not, then you can bombard me with PMs demanding for an update. And slight warning, this is sort of a filler chapter, preparing for the final bang. I know it's going to be good and you guys are going to like it! Okay, I think that's all. I better stop before this turns into rambling. Enjoy the chapter and leave an awesome review for me!

* * *

Rising Grades

Sam was sitting on the chair, flipping through the channels. The hospital hadn't gotten better cable since she had last been there.

There was a knock at the door before it opened. "Samantha?" it was a doctor.

"It's Sam." she replied, putting the TV on mute.

"Sam then. I'm Dr. Garza and I have some news." he said as he came in and closed the door behind him. He looked around. "Is there anyone else here with you?"

"Uh, no. Does it look like it?" Sam asked, slightly annoyed.

"Would you rather wait for someone to come or do you want the news now?"

"Just give it to me." Sam replied. Her tone came out harsh because she didn't want the worry to show.

"Right. Well we have some news on your baby-"

"Grover. His name is Grover."

"Grover..." Dr. Garza gave her an odd look, but said nothing about it. "Has anyone told you about Grover's health?"

Sam shook her head.

Dr. Garza gave Sam a sad smile and took a seat. "Grover weighed about three pounds. I was told under what conditions he was born and I am honestly surprised he's still alive. Considering all the factors, he should be dead. He has apnea, which should go away after a while-"

"Wait, what's apnea?" Sam asked.

"His heart rate lowers considerably. He can even stop breathing for a bit, but that's taken care of through careful watch. He has a very low immune system, but with the right vitamins and food, he'll be as healthy as any boy." Dr. Garza didn't take his off of his clipboard.

Sam gave him a wary look. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Dr. Garza let out a heavy sigh, finally looking at Sam. "We found out a few minutes ago that Grover has an intraventricular hemorrhage. IVH for short."

Sam swallowed hard. "What does that do?"

"He has bleeding in his brain. Most of the time though, it won't cause any serious damage and will usually go away on its own. But in serious grades, there could be brain damage. He could have some physical disabilities leading to cerebral palsy, or behavioral issues. Grover actually has one of the worse grades of IVH. Grade 3. The bleeding is more excessive."

"Can he die?" she asked softly.

Dr. Garza pursed his lips. "There's always a chance he could die. There could be complications anywhere, but we've caught this problem before it's escalated anymore. We could try a spinal tap, which won't necessarily stop the bleeding, but it will relieve some of the pressure on the brain."

Sam stayed quiet. She couldn't believe all the complications Grover had been born with. "Is he in pain?"

"We just have to hope he isn't. I'll be back later if there's any updates." Dr. Garza said, exiting the room.

The door closed, leaving Sam to her thoughts, but not for long. Five seconds later, the door opened again. "Sam?"

Sam didn't want to see anyone right now. Even if it was Melanie. She got up from the chair and laid on the bed. "What do you want Melanie?"

"What do I want? You just had a baby! I wanted to see how you were doing." Melanie gave Sam a big hug before sitting on the seat that Sam had just gotten up from. "How are you doing?"

"Melanie, I'm not in the mood." Sam grumbled.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Just leave me alone."

Melanie pursed her lips. She knew of something to say to get Sam talking. It may not be the greatest idea, but she needed to hear something from Sam. "I called Mom and told her you delivered."

Sam was quiet, but Melanie knew her sister enough to know she was about to start yelling in 5...4...3...2...

"I don't have a mom." Sam said in a strong voice. She didn't yell it though.

It caught Melanie off guard. "Um...yeah, you do. We have the same-"

"I said I don't have one, Melanie!" Sam yelled, sitting up from the bed.

There was the yelling.

"Sam, she needed to know!" Melanie defended her actions. "She's our mother, you can't keep something like this from her."

"Apparently I can't! Not with you around! She kicked me out, Melanie! She has no right to know about anything in my life anymore! Besides, she's still married to that jerk of a man! I want no part of her if she's married to him!"

"First, you didn't even know him that well. He was lazy, but pretty cool. Second, Mom divorced him about a month ago. Would you still want no part of her knowing that little fact?"

Sam stared straight ahead. "Yes Melanie. I still don't want any part of her."

"Give her another chance."

"First, I don't want to give her another chance. Second, she probably doesn't want another chance herself." Sam mimicked Melanie's earlier phrasing.

"Sam, I'm just saying...I know you're living with Carly and everything, but what happens when you take Grover home? Where's he going to stay?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders. She hadn't thought about that. She _didn't_ want to think about it. Would she even be able to take him home, considering what he was born with?

"Really think about it, Sam. There's that extra room in the house that's been empty since we've moved there."

"I bet she doesn't even have the house anymore."

"She's actually gotten better at keeping up with payments."

"It's not going to last." Sam grumbled.

"Maybe not, but just think about it." Melanie stood up. "Now, if you don't mind me, I'm going to go see my little nephew. I can't wait to see how cute he turned out!" Melanie gushed before walking out the room.

Sam scoffed with a blank look on her face. "Yeah, he's real cute." she deadpanned to herself.

A stray tear fell from her face. She quickly wiped it away and laid back down, staring out the window. She wished Freddie was here with her. She was so tempted to grab the phone next to her and dial his number, but she didn't. Sam couldn't have him coming to her rescue every time. None of this was his fault and she couldn't have him with her every time she felt sad. She had to learn to stand on her own, no matter how much it hurt.

* * *

Desmond watched Lisa while he stocked some bottles on the shelves. She smiled at a customer as she gave them their change. She had been avoiding him ever since she came in that morning. Once the customer's left, there was no one else in the store except for them. Desmond quickly finished stocking and headed towards Lisa.

Lisa looked up when she saw him. Her eyes darted to the side, almost as if looking for a way to run away. This didn't go unnoticed by Desmond. "Simon. Hey...there's something in the back that I-"

"You're avoiding me. Why?"

Lisa gave him her best innocent look. "I'm not avoiding you. Why would you think that?"

"Because it's true. Is this about what happened last night?"

Lisa stayed behind the cash register. "Simon...last night...that was a-"

The bell on the door rang as a new customer came in. A tall blonde with an almost dazed look on her face.

Lisa quickly came around from the cash register to welcome the new customer. "Hi, welcome to Rosie's Baby Boutique. I'm Lisa. Anything special you're looking for?"

"Right...I'm Terri." she shook Lisa's hand. "Um...I really don't know why I'm in here actually. Well, I know that I was going to look around, but...I have no idea where to start." Terri said as she started looking around the store in wonder.

"First-time mother?" Lisa offered as she lead Terri down the aisles.

"No...my daughter...she had her baby. A whole month early." she said with a soft scoff.

"Oh...well does she have anything ready?"

She shook her head. "Sam wasn't one for planning ahead. Just like me..."

Desmond's ears perked up at the mention of Sam's name. He stared Terri. He could see the similarities between mother and daughter. Quietly, he slipped out to the back of the store, just in case...

"I guess you could start with buying a crib or a little bassinet. Do you at least have a room prepared for the baby?" Lisa asked.

Terri pursed her lips. "No. Look, maybe I should just come back later. I don't even know if she'll move back in." Terri mumbled the last part. "Thanks for the help anyways."

She walked away from Lisa, but noticed something poking out from under the rug in front of the cash register. She quickly looked around her. Lisa had gone to the other side of an aisle and that other guy that was in here had gone off somewhere in the back. She bent down and picked up the object. It was a driver's license. Some guy named Desmond Halavaty.

The name sounded so familiar to Terri, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She stuck the license in her purse. She always wanted to try to steal someones identity and from what her brother, Carmichael, told her, it could be done through a driver's license.

* * *

Freddie walked into Carly's apartment after finishing his lunch. Carly was sitting on the kitchen counter talking to someone over the phone while Spencer was washing dishes. "Hey guys." Freddie said as he sat at the bar.

Carly waved at him, still focusing on the person on the other line.

"Hey, Fred-o. What's going on?"

"Nothing. Who's Carly talking to?"

"Um...a person from school...?"

"You have no idea how great that is! Thank you so much! And sorry it was kind of last minute. We'll see you tomorrow." Carly hung up the phone and looked to Freddie. "That was Wendy. She's going to bring the cake tomorrow." Carly said proudly.

Freddie frowned. "Cake for what?"

"Sam's baby shower! We were going to have a surprise one next week, but the baby kind of came earlier so we're having it tomorrow once she's released from the hospital."

"Why wasn't I informed of the baby shower?" Freddie asked.

"Probably because you're her boyfriend now." Spencer said.

"What's that got-"

"Freddie, you're horrible at keeping something like this a secret. So we decided it was better not to tell you since you two have been spending so much time together." Carly said with a smile.

"Who did you invite?"

"I know that technically it's supposed to be just girls, but I pretty much invited most of Sam's friends, which does include some guys. And of course we're invited and so is Melanie." Carly flipped through the contacts on her phone and wrote something on a notepad beside her. "So has Sam told you any news about Grover?" Carly asked.

Freddie shook his head. "I don't think she's gotten any. We'd be the first ones she'd tell about anything."

Carly stopped for a moment and had a happy, dreamy look on her face. "I still can't believe that Sam has a baby now. And a super cute baby too! He looks just like her."

"Right! He's got her cheeks and nose and everything!" Spencer said, joining the conversation.

"Except for his eyes." Freddie mused quietly to himself.

Carly and Spencer didn't hear them though, still continuing listing the best features about Grover.

"I'm going upstairs to check something." Freddie dismissed himself quietly. Carly waved and Spencer said something about not using the elevator. Of course he wouldn't go back in that elevator. The memories were still too fresh in his mind.

He climbed the steps to the studio and turned on his computer, letting it warm up for a bit. Sam had been acting strange about the baby since it had been born. Yeah, Grover still wasn't a day old yet, but Sam seemed adamant about not talking about him. Plus, she didn't seem that upset when she could only see him for five minutes.

The computer was ready and Freddie typed in two words in the search box: postpartum depression.

* * *

It was Sunday. Sam was being released today. Yesterday, Carly, Freddie, and Melanie all came back to visit her. She didn't tell them anything about what the doctor said about Grover. She didn't want him in her mind at the moment.

"Maybe we should bring some other clothes." Freddie said from the other side of the bathroom as Sam changed.

"No! These pants are going to fit! I could fit in them last year, I plan on fitting in them this year!" Sam yelled from the other side. She was starting to get frustrated when the button would not go through the hole.

"Well last year you weren't pregnant! Just give it some time, lose some of the weight you gained, and you'll be back to fitting in those pants." Freddie retorted.

Sam opened the door, holding her pants closed. She glared at Freddie, making him take two steps back. "Are you saying I'm fat?" she asked in a low growl.

Freddie gulped. "No...every woman gets bigger while she's pregnant and after she just gave birth. It's barely been two days since Grover popped out of you."

Sam continued glaring. "Fine. Go get me some bigger pants."

Freddie didn't hide a smirk as he walked to the bag where Carly had packed Sam's clothes. He pulled out a pair of capris that were two sizes bigger. "Here you go."

Sam stared at the pants that Freddie held. "You guys packed them, even though I asked for these other pants _specifically_?"

"It was just a precaution. Besides, it was more of Carly and Melanie's idea."

"Yeah, you better keep trying to save your own skin." Sam said as she grabbed the pants and started changing into those.

"So...any plans for lunch tomorrow?" Freddie asked as he leaned against the closed bathroom door.

"No...is this about the date? You said you'd take me out once I got out of this hospital and I'm hungry for some chili."

Freddie winced as he remembered that. He couldn't take her out today anymore because of the surprise baby shower Carly was throwing. That's why she sent Freddie to the hospital on the bus alone to get Sam. Carly, Spencer, and Melanie were getting everything ready. "I know I said that...but the place I wanted to take you to is closed today. So I thought we could just go tomorrow." it wasn't a complete lie. Freddie really did think the restaurant was closed on Sundays.

Sam came out of the restroom, completely changed into capris, a t-shirt, and her favorite converse. "Well then let's just go for some tacos. I really don't care where we go, so long as there's food."

"I wanted to take you somewhere nice though." Freddie said with a small frown.

"Can you really see me at a fancy restaurant?"

Freddie smiled. "I can see you anywhere Sam. From President of America to astronaut on Mars."

Sam rolled her eyes, but smiled at Freddie's cheesiness. "You're such a nub." she said as she gave his arm a light punch.

"You want to use a wheelchair?"

"No way, I can walk on my own." Sam said, leading the way out of the room.

"Do you want to see Grover before we leave?" Freddie asked as he caught up with her.

Sam pursed her lips and hesitated. "I don't think I can see him. He might be with the doctors or something."

Freddie stopped. "Come on, Sam. Let's go see him before we leave. You haven't even seen your own son for more than five minutes."

Sam didn't answer him.

Freddie's mind started pulling up all the facts he had read yesterday about postpartum depression. Sam was showing some of the main signs. "At least two minutes?" he said as he grabbed her hand and started leading her to the nursery where Grover was.

Sam didn't protest as Freddie continued leading her down the hallway until they were in front of the nursery. They looked through the window where Grover was in the incubator. He was alone in the room to prevent him from getting any infections. Sam stared at Grover, watching his tiny chest slowly rise and fall. It was starting to get slower and slower until it seemed to stop completely.

Alarms started going off in the nursery and a nurse rushed into the room. She had on a surgical mask and gloves. Sam closed her eyes, not wanting to watch.

"Sam, what's going on?" Freddie asked in a tight voice. He watched as she nurse started to give Grover's back a light pat. The alarms stopped and Grover was put back in the incubator. Freddie turned to look at Sam and saw her eyes shut tightly. "What just happened with Grover?"

Sam opened her eyes and looked back at Freddie. She opened her mouth to start speaking, but never got the chance.

"Sam! I'm glad I caught you before you left."

Sam turned around and saw Dr. Garza coming towards her. "Oh...hey, Dr. Garza." she said.

"There's been an update with Grover."

"What are you talking about?" Freddie asked, standing next to Sam.

Dr. Garza looked from Freddie to Sam. "Is he the-"

"No. There's no relation. He's just my friend." Sam said quickly. She knew what Dr. Garza was about to imply.

"And you haven't told him? Have you told anyone?"

"Can you just give me the update?" Sam tried keeping the snap out of her voice.

Dr. Garza gave her an odd look, but didn't keep the news from her any longer. "The bleeding has escalated from grade three to grade four sometime last night. We're going to have to preform a spinal tap before it gets worse. We need you to sign these release forms-"

Sam grabbed the clipboard and quickly wrote her signature. "Just make sure the bleeding stops and he isn't in pain." Sam said. She gave Dr. Garza the clipboard back and started walking away.

Freddie watched Sam walking away then turned to Dr. Garza. "What's wrong with Grover?" he asked.

"That's for Sam to tell you."

"He's going to be okay, right?"

"I don't know." Dr. Garza said before walking into the nursery.

Freddie caught up with Sam as she waited for the elevator. "Sam, what are you not telling me? What's going on with Grover."

"Nothing." Sam grumbled. "I don't want to talk about it right now." Sam said. She stepped into the elevator once the doors opened and Freddie followed after her. Freddie thought he heard Sam grumble that she hated elevators now.

They walked out of the hospital and headed to the bus stop. There was silence while they waited for a few minutes before the bus showed up. They sat in a seat towards the back where there were no people.

Freddie watched Sam as she stared out the widow, staying quiet. She wasn't acting like herself. Freddie didn't bother her about it though. He just hoped she would tell him what was going on soon.

Sam turned her head away from the window looked at Freddie. Her eyes lowered and focused on his shirt. "Grover's sick."

Freddie stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

"They, um...found some bleeding in his brain...he's got the most serious type. Dr. Garza said there's a possibility there could be permanent damage, but...there's always a chance he could..." Sam sniffled and cleared her throat. "That he might not make it."

Freddie wrapped his arms around her and held her as she fought the tears that filled her eyes.

"I don't know if I can do this. I have a sick baby. How am I supposed to raise him? Where am I going to get the money for all the procedures? What if he's going to have some permanent damage that costs tons of money?"

"Don't worry about any of that stuff right now. Whatever happens, we_'_ll find a way."

Sam looked up at Freddie. "You said 'we'."

"I know. I told you I was in this for life, didn't I?"

Sam kept her head on his chest. She knew Freddie was trying his best to make her feel better, but he just didn't understand how she was feeling. Partly because she didn't tell him completely how she was feeling and partly because she didn't understand it herself. She couldn't understand why she couldn't think about Grover without feeling horrible and her stomach churn.


	16. A Shower of Disaster

A/N: Just thought I'd post this for you guys. Hope you like! There was one little part that just didn't seem right to me, but I tried my best and I got this. I'm actually pleased with the ending and I definitely think it's great, but you guys are just going to have to decide for yourselves. Tell me what you think, thoughts, comments, suggestions, questions, a random story that happened, haha. Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

A Shower of Disaster

"I just want to go to sleep." Sam mumbled as she leaned against the wall outside of the Shay's apartment. She didn't cry on the bus, but she felt like it and was now tired. She really wasn't in the mood for anything.

Freddie hesitated in opening the door. He didn't know how Sam might react to the surprise. Maybe it would be better if he sent Carly a text and told her to cancel the whole thing. But they were already at the door. It was way too late to do something like that.

"Open the door already, Benson." Sam grumbled. She was starting to get annoyed.

"Oh...right." Freddie said, he grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, letting Sam go in first. The apartment was empty, but as soon as Sam was about to head to the couch, people everywhere jumped out from hiding places.

"Surprise!" they all yelled with laughter.

Sam inhaled sharply at being frightened and stared at them. "What's the occasion?" she asked, turning to look at Freddie.

Freddie smiled. "You just had a baby. We decided that was a good enough reason to celebrate."

"So congratulations on the healthy baby!" Carly said with a wide grin.

Sam kept the smile glued to her face, despite how wrong Carly was. "Right..."

"All right everyone. The guest of honor has finally come, now we can party!" Carly exclaimed as she ran to the stereo and turned on some dance music.

Melanie and Carly both came up to Sam and gave her big hugs. "I'm so glad you didn't have to spend that much time in the hospital." Melanie said.

"If only you could've taken Grover home too." Carly said with a small pout. "It's going to be so much fun with him around once you can bring him home." her pout was replaced with a wide grin.

Sam swallowed hard. "...It's going to be great." she started thinking about the first few weeks with Stinger. It had been so hard and she had gotten so tired...but he wasn't sick like Grover. She could only imagine how worse it was going to be with Grover.

"Do you need to sit down?" Freddie asked.

Sam snapped her eyes up to him. "No...no, I'm fine. I just...I'm kind of hungry. The hospital never had any good food." she said with a forced laugh.

"Go ahead and sit down then. I'll go get you some food." Freddie said. He was about to lean and give her a small peck on the lips, but she turned her head. Freddie paused and ended up not kissing her. Instead he just went into the kitchen for her food.

* * *

Freddie was leaning against the bar eating some cashews. He was looking around at everyone that showed up. Almost half of their classmates were there so that meant the amount of gifts that Sam received was definitely over twenty-five. The food was great, especially the cake, the games were fun, there was constantly people dancing to the music, and everyone was having a great time. Not once did Freddie see Sam smile though. Sure, she would _smile,_ but he could tell it was fake.

At that moment, though, Freddie didn't see any sign of Sam. He wondered where she went and if-

"Hey! Benson!" someone whispered loudly.

Freddie turned around and saw Sam. She was pressed against the pillar by the bar and was trying to be quiet. "What are you doing there?" he asked in a whisper.

"Trying to get away. Look, I'm really tired and not in the mood to finish this party. I've already tried getting away, but every time I get close, some person stops me and won't shut up. Can you help me?" Sam pleaded.

"Of course I will." Freddie said with a chuckle. He grabbed her hand and started leading her up the stairs.

"Sam! There you are! I was just going to ask you how the food was at the hospital." Wendy said, making both Freddie and Sam stop on the stairs.

"Um...it was good." Sam answered, hiding a scowl.

"I've heard it's really bad."

"They don't really use much seasoning." Freddie jumped into the conversation. "My mom used to be a nurse at the hospital Sam was at, but then she changed jobs to something closer and smaller. She says that's how it's like in a lot of the hospitals."

"Really? Well why don't they use any seasonings?"

Freddie let go of Sam's hand, and gave her a quick nod of the head. Sam didn't wait for Freddie to explain it as she finished climbing the stairs to the third flood and went into Carly's room.  
She sighed contently as she grabbed a blanket and laid on Carly's bed. Napping sounded like such a good idea.

* * *

"Thanks for coming! I'm sure Sam will love her gift!" Carly called out as the last guest left the apartment. She closed the door and looked at the mess that was made. She sighed and sat on the couch next to Melanie. The mess could wait for just a few more minutes.

"Now can we go get Sam?" Melanie asked Freddie. Apparently, he had been the one in charge of making sure no one disturbed her.

"No, it's only been an hour and she looked really tired." he was pouring himself a glass of lemonade that Spencer made.

"So when are you guys planning on cleaning up this mess?" Spencer asked from his seat at the dining table.

"We'll clean it up in a few minutes. I'm tired from all that partying." Carly said as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back.

Carly jolted her head back up when someone began pounding on the door. "It's open!" she yelled, not wanting to get up.

When the door opened, all four became silent and stared.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Melanie asked.

"I came to see Sam." Terri looked around at all the decorations. "See you had a baby shower for her."

Freddie stood up and walked towards her. "Yeah, we had one for her, and I don't think you should see her right now. In fact, I don't think you should _ever_ see her."

"Freddie-"

"Melanie, she doesn't-"

"Melanie was the one that called me and told me what was going on, but she didn't mention anything about this baby shower."

Freddie looked from Melanie to Terri.

"Let her talk." Carly said gently.

Freddie crossed his arms. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I want to talk to Sam first."

"She's asleep. You're going to have to tell us."

Terri clenched her jaw. She didn't like being told what to do, especially by some kid less than half her age. "Fine. I was going to apologize...I was wrong to say all those things last time I saw her. It's just...she was supposed to have something better than this. Then finding out she was pregnant...I would've felt a lot better if _you_ really had been the father. I want to make it up to her by letting her move back in."

"Really? You'll let her move back in?" Spencer asked in what sounded like an excited tone.

"Spencer!" Carly couldn't believe Spencer sounded happy about something like that.

"What? If Sam kept living here, where would she keep Grover? We really didn't have the room for a baby, Carly." Spencer explained. "Oh come on, guys! Don't look at me like that!"

"Just give her a chance to talk to Sam." Melanie said as she stood up. She was really starting to get exasperated with the whole situation. "You guys don't know our mom. She's...strange in the way she deals with huge problems. She freaks out and blames the first person or persons she can. That person just so happened to be Freddie and Sam in this situation. I know it sounds horrible, but that's just the way she is. So please, let her talk to Sam. She's making an attempt at fixing this. Knowing my mom, this is a surprise, because she never tries to fix any problems."

Freddie knew Melanie was right. That's why he let out a heavy sigh. "I'll go see if she's awake." he said before walking up the stairs. He went into Carly's room and saw Sam on Carly's bed with her back turned towards him. "Sam, you awake?"

Sam let out soft groan as she turned around and stared up at Freddie. "Yeah, I'm awake." she grumbled.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked carefully.

Sam shook her head as she sat up and leaned against the headboard. "I've been awake for a while, I just didn't want to get up."

Freddie nodded his head, letting a silence pass between them. He was trying to find some courage to tell Sam her mom was downstairs.

"Did you come in here for a reason?" Sam asked after a few moments.

"I just wanted to let you know everyone was gone. It's just us and Melanie." _and your mom._

"Okay...it looks like there was something else you wanted to tell me. Spill."

"I'll explain when you go downstairs." Freddie offered her his hands.

She grabbed them and pulled herself off the bed. She was hurting everywhere, but she was just glad she didn't have to struggle so much to get up. "Do I get to have cake?" she asked as they walked down to the living room.

"Yeah...I mean, if you'd still want to."

"Why wouldn't I want to?"

"Well..."

"Sam. There you are."

Sam looked up and saw Terri in the living room. She dropped her hands from Freddie and took a step back. "What is she doing here?" Sam asked, not taking her eyes from Terri.  
Freddie looked around the room only to find it empty besides him, Sam and Terri. He had hoped to have some kind of back-up when he confronted Sam with Terri. "She wants to talk."

"You _knew_! She was here and you didn't even tell me before I came downstairs?" Sam yelled at Freddie.

"Just listen to what she has to say, Sam." Freddie pleaded.

"Why should I?"

"Because she's your mom."

Sam pursed her lips and turned to look at Terri. "Well? What do you have to say?"

"I'd actually like to talk in private." Terri said, glancing at Freddie.

"He's not leaving." Sam said as she grabbed Freddie's hand to keep him from going away.

Terri let out sigh. "Fine. I guess I should go ahead and start."

* * *

Terri had started out talking, but Sam interrupted her and yelled. Terri yelled back and soon Freddie had to play referee. After an hour of talking with some yelling and Freddie intervening, Terri had left and it was just Sam and Freddie. They were sitting on the couch with a plate of cake in their hands.

"Where did the others go?"

"I don't know. They were here when I went up to get you, but I guess they left."

Sam nodded her head as she quietly ate her cake. She had been quiet since Terri had left.

Freddie needed to be sure she was all right, but he was afraid to ask her. If he did, she might bite his head off. He set down his plate and stared thoughtfully at the coffee table.

Sam let out a heavy sigh as she set her plate down next to his. "I know what you want to ask and trust me, I am fine. I'm just really tired."

"You sure?" Freddie asked. He wasn't even going to question how she knew his thoughts.

"Yeah..."

"Can we come in?" the door had opened and Carly was poking her head in.

"Where were you?" Sam asked.

Carly came in followed by Spencer and Melanie. "We went out for a bit. I just figured you and Mom would want some privacy." Melanie said.

Sam clenched her jaw, not mentioning that Freddie had stood by her the entire time. "Yeah. You and your brilliant ideas Melanie." she said with sarcasm.

"So...? What did she say? You guys make up?" Spencer asked.

Sam flicked at an invisible piece of lint on her arm. "She said everything you'd expect. She was sorry, she was a horrible mother, she wants to make it to up, and she's letting me move back in." Sam said as if she was reading off of a list.

"Is that a good thing?" Carly asked.

Freddie nodded. "It's just Terri at the house now and she's letting Sam have the extra room for Grover's nursery."

"That's great! Can I help decorate?" you could hear the excitement in Melanie's voice. "We can get a pretty crib, a rocking chair, install a changing table, and paint it a really light blue-"

"No!" Sam yelled. "I mean...I'm just putting a crib in there. The kid doesn't need a whole bunch of stuff. Besides, he'll grow out if real soon so might as well not waste the money."

Freddie remembered the room Sam was in during her time with Desmond. It was exactly like Melanie described, so he understood her outburst. "Why don't we paint it still, but green? Or even yellow." he suggested

Sam clenched her jaw as she crossed her arms. "I said a crib is fine. That's all he needs."

"Oh come on, Sam! Let us make the room really nice for you!" Carly said.

"I'll even make a huge sculpture of a pacifier!" Spencer threw in.

Sam didn't want any of the stuff. She didn't want it because she knew it'd be for Grover. The same kid that looked exactly like Desmond. "It's going to be too much trouble and you guys don't need to do any of that stuff." Sam stood up. "I'm going to start packing my things." she grumbled and walked upstairs.

Carly, Spencer, and Melanie were talking quietly, wondering what could've been bugging Sam. Freddie stayed quiet, not wanting to say anything. He had an idea, but he didn't want to say anything unless he was sure of it.

* * *

The next evening came and it was also the evening that Freddie had planned on taking Sam out. In fact, he was sitting on the couch waiting for her to come down so they could leave for the restaurant. He wanted to leave a little early before it became too crowded.

Sam came down the stairs and Freddie stood to look at her. She was in simple jeans and a purple blouse, but Freddie thought she looked beautiful. Tired, but still beautiful.

"How do I look?" she asked.

Freddie smiled a bit breathlessly. "Amazing."

The apartment phone rang and Spencer ran out of his room to answer it. He smiled at Sam and Freddie before grabbing the phone. "You two have fun!" he said and then answered the phone.

"You ready?" Freddie asked as he met her on the bottom of the steps."

"Yeah, can't wait to see what kind of food we're going to be eating this evening." Sam said with a grin.

Freddie led her to the door and just as they were about to leave, Spencer stopped them.

"Guys, that was the hospital." Spencer started. He had a serious look on his face. "They've been trying to reach you, Sam."

"I had my phone on silent. What did they say?" Sam asked.

"They finished the spinal tap on Grover?" Spencer didn't know what the nurse had been talking about.

Sam bit her lip. She forgot she hadn't told anyone except for Freddie.

"Would you rather go see him?" Freddie asked.

Sam knew it was her duty as a mother, so she nodded her head.

"I'll get the keys." Spencer said.

* * *

Sam had explained everything to Spencer and Freddie filled in on the parts that Sam couldn't talk about. Spencer didn't ask why she hadn't told them anything. He figured it wasn't the time to do that.

So there they were, Sam and Freddie out on the their 'date night' and spending it in a hospital waiting room. Spencer had left about five minutes later to look for Sherrie.

"Has anyone told Carly?" Sam asked quietly.

"I didn't. I don't know if Spencer sent her a message."

Sam nodded her head. Carly had been hanging out with Wendy today since both Sam and Freddie had been so busy. "I'm sorry the date was canceled, _again_."

Freddie smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "It's all right. I'm here with you so I'm perfectly fine."

Dr. Garza came out. "Sam, glad you came. We finished the spinal tap and drained most of the blood from his brain. We're going to have to wait and see if there's any long-term damage though. No infections of any type has been detected yet, so he is on the road to recovery. I think after about three weeks you'll be able to take him home. You will need to bring him back after two months to be sure everything is going fine and to do a check-up."

Sam let her thoughts run with that idea. Grover being with her. She didn't know how to feel.

"Can we see him?" Freddie asked, bringing Sam out of her thoughts.

"Of course. Just follow me." Dr. Garza started walking down the corridor with Sam and Freddie behind him. They walked into the room and saw the clear incubator that Grover was in. "If you could, please wash your hands. It's a precaution so he won't get any infections. I'll leave you two alone."

Sam quickly washed her hands as did Freddie and sat on the chairs that were beside Grover. Sam bit her lower lip as she looked at Grover. He may look like Desmond, but he also looked like he was in pain. Sam didn't want that for Grover.

"He's got your nose." Freddie said.

"No, he doesn't." Sam answered bluntly.

Freddie frowned. "Yeah he does. Look at it. It looks just like yours."

"His nose doesn't look like mine. Trust me Fredward."

"But look-"

"Can't we just leave the matching looks alone? I don't want to think about who he looks like right now." Sam said coldly.

Freddie nodded his head and said nothing more. After a few minutes of silence, it was broken by Sam sniffling. Freddie looked over and could see she was holding back tears. He pulled her close to him and let her rest her head on his shoulder. It didn't matter if she was crying or not, he just knew she needed someone to comfort her.

* * *

Lisa came in Rosie's Botique early Saturday morning It had been almost a week since the incident with Simon and all she wanted to do was forget about it. He had changed so much after that and it was honestly starting to scare her.

"Isa!"

Lisa turned around and smiled at Stinger. He spent the night with her so they could hang out today. "Don't worry Stinger. I won't be here long. I just needed to get something from behind the counter." She picked him up and sat him on the counter, ruffling his brown hair.

She went behind the counter and started rifling through the drawers for her book she left yesterday. She was just glad the shop was closed today and she'd be able to hang out with Stinger. They were going to the park right after this for a picnic.

"Look it, Isa!"

Lisa looked up and saw Simon. He was staring at Stinger with a curious look on his face. It made something in her heart feel uneasy. "Simon, I didn't know you were here. Did you forget something?"

Desmond looked up. "I realized last night I lost my driver's license. I was kind of hoping I left it here by accident."

Lisa grabbed her book and grabbed Stinger, setting him back on the ground. "I haven't seen anything. I'm sure it'll turn up soon. I should be going now." Lisa quickly said as she walked to the door with Stinger trying to keep up.

"Have you ever thought about dying your hair blonde?" Desmond asked before Lisa could leave.

Lisa raised an eyebrow as she turned around. "No, I like to keep my hair its natural color."

Desmond nodded his head as he walked up to the door. He locked it, closed the blinds, and turned back to look at her.

Lisa was starting to feel very uneasy. "Simon, what are you doing?" Lisa made sure Stinger was standing behind her, just in case.

"I have to do this, Lisa. I have to do it for my wife." he said as he took a few steps forward.

Lisa backed away. "What are you talking about? You're starting to scare me, Simon."

Desmond pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. "My name isn't Simon. It's Desmond."

* * *

Percy was sitting at his desk reorganizing files. He wasn't on a case right now and it was killing him. He needed something to do. He had heard about Sam Puckett giving birth prematurely almost a week and a half ago. Percy would've sent her a card, but he didn't know to send congratulations or sympathy.

"Hey, Percy! Check out what was just filed!" the newest recruit, Aiden, exclaimed as he set a file down on his desk.

"What is this?" Percy asked before opening it.

"Missing persons report." Aiden said proudly.

"Aiden, I don't really deal with missing persons reports-"

"But check out the report!"

Percy flipped open the file and he felt his heart drop. Some woman named Lisa Burke but the second name stuck out more. Micah Sting.


	17. Reclaiming the Prize

A/N: Hope this chapter isn't too confusing. I sort of had a hard time with it and it didn't help that I got sick yesterday and it carried on into today :P But I am starting to feel a little better, so I'm posting this before something else delays it! Read and review please :)

* * *

Reclaiming the Prize

Sam had partially moved back in with Terri, but she still stayed at Carly's. She was going to move completely once Grover was allowed home. She was picking him up tomorrow evening from the hospital. During his entire stay at the hospital, he only caught one infection, but it was resolved within two days. His apnea condition was slowly going away, but there were a few times where he would have a minor episode. After people found out that Grover had been born sick, they sent her their sympathy. She didn't want their sympathy though.

Every time Sam and Freddie had almost been able to finally go out as a couple, something always came up. It was mainly with Freddie though. He was always running off and doing something that he told her nothing about. When that would happen, she would end up hanging out with Carly, sometimes even Melanie since she was staying home for summer vacation.

That afternoon, Sam walked up to the iCarly studio. Carly was there playing violin hero. "Hey, Carls." Sam walked in and laid on top of a bean bag.

Carly pushed pause on her game. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Do you know where Freddie is?"

"I think he left with Spencer to take a sculpture somewhere." Carly answered as she sat beside Sam.

"Oh." Sam said, sounding slightly dejected.

Carly smiled sadly for her friend. "Everything all right between you two?"

Sam sighed. "I don't know. I kind of feel like he's avoiding me." _It's because of Grover. Grover is going to ruin everything._ Sam frowned at that though. Where did that come from?

"Maybe he just got busy or something."

"With helping Spencer move sculptures?"

"I'm sure he's got an explanation and trust me, you'll hear it soon."

"Do you know this explanation?"

Carly shut her mouth quickly and shrugged her shoulders. She knew, but Freddie made her swear not to tell Sam. "Want to go visit Grover?"

"What for?"

"To go see him! Don't you want to see your son?"

Sam's stomach did a weird flip-flop when she heard that. She still hadn't really thought that much about Grover. When she did, though, she felt feelings that she knew a mother wasn't supposed to feel towards their child. "I don't like seeing him in the hospital." Sam replied quietly.

"Okay...how 'bout some smoothies then?"

"I guess." Sam mumbled as she pulled herself up.

The two girls walked out of the apartment and headed to the Groovy Smoothie. Carly talked most of the way with Sam just noddding her head and throwing in a few occasional words. She just wasn't in the mood to talk. In fact, she hadn't been in the mood to talk since Grover had been born.

"What do you want to drink?"

Sam looked up, not realizing they had already walked into the Groovy Smoothie. "Uh, just get me the usual."

Carly nodded her head and went to the counter to place her order.

Sam grabbed a table and leaned back as far as she could in the chair.

"Excuse me, aren't you Sam Puckett?"

Sam turned around and saw a lady dressed in a business suit. "Yeah. What do you need?"

"I heard about everything that happened to you. I'm really sor-"

"Look, lady, I don't want your sympathy. I don't want anyone's sympathy. So just buzz off." Sam snapped.

The lady held up her hands in defense. "I didn't mean to offend. I was actually going to ask you what you were planning to do with the baby you just had."

Sam pursed her lips. Her eyes darted to Carly. She was at the counter arguing with T-Bo. "I was going to keep him." Sam replied quietly.

"Sounds like you aren't sure anymore."

Sam gave the woman a hard stare but made no comment.

She pulled out a business card and gave it to Sam. "If you change your mind about the baby, give me a call and I'll help you take care of it. Hope you have a nice day." she said with a smile and walked out of the smoothie shop.

Sam looked at the card. The lady's name was Cristy Byers. She worked with the CPS.

"Who was that?" Carly asked as she sat down with the smoothies.

Sam quickly pocketed the card before Carly could read it. "No one."

* * *

"Okay, now turn left...left! I said left!" Spencer screeched as he struggled to keep hold of the sculpture in his hands.

"I am going left!" Freddie yelled. His arms were beginning to quake under the weight of the sculpture.

"I meant my left!"

"Why didn't you just say that then?"

"Because I thought you would've known!"

Freddie rolled his eyes as he started moving the sculpture in the direction of _Spencer's_ left.

"All right, set it down. Gently...gently...done!"

Freddie and Spencer took a couple steps back and looked at the sculpture. "I still don't understand how you did it."

"The magic of super glue." Spencer said with a proud smile. "You know I was originally going to use diapers, but...I ended up having a little problem."

Freddie didn't want to know what happened. Instead, he looked around at the project he had been working on and had pulled Spencer into helping him. Even Terri had helped some. "The whole room looks great. I just hope Sam likes it."

"Why wouldn't she?"

"She did say that she didn't want us doing anything like this for Grover."

"But how could she not like something like this? It's amazing!"

Freddie looked around some more. It was amazing, but Sam's mood might make her think it was horrible.

* * *

Detective Percy rolled up the sleeves to his shirt. It was hot today, even more while walking. He was heading to Rosie's Baby Boutique shop. It had been about a month since Lisa and Stinger had been kidnapped. Percy hadn't found anything, but he also didn't finish interviewing everyone he wanted to. One employee that spent a lot of time with Lisa seemed to be constantly busy. Percy never had a chance to interview him, but this time, Percy called ahead. He contacted the shop manager, Rosie, and made sure Simon was there and he could question him.

It was time to get some answers.

* * *

Terri climbed out of her car and headed into Rosie's Baby Boutique. She was here to buy a crib for Grover's room. Thankfully, it was the only thing they lacked in the nursery.  
Spencer, Carly, Melanie, and mainly Freddie asked Pam if they could convert the extra room into a nursery. Terri thought it was a good idea. It might even make Sam hate her less when she saw that Terri really was making an effort. For the whole month, they had been painting and moving stuff in, all the while, keeping Sam uninformed of it all.

"Hi, welcome to Rosie's Baby Boutique." a woman standing behind the register greeted as soon as Terri came in.

Terri nodded her head in acknowledgment before heading down the aisle with the cribs.

"Can I help you find something ma'am?"

Terri turned around and saw a man standing in front of her. From the first look, Terri could tell he was agitated. She glanced at his name tag. "Simon...no, I don't need any help." Terri said in a slightly snappish voice.

Simon took quick glances around the shop. Terri wondered if he was looking for someone. She shrugged her shoulders, grabbed a crib, and took it to the register.

"Is that going to be all for you today?" the woman asked.

"Yeah."

The bell jingled as a new customer came in. He came right up to the front desk. "I'm looking for a Simon Halavaty."

"Oh look, he's right there. Simon! This man wants to talk to you."

Terri turned her head and watched in interest. Aside from the tight grip he had on a box he was carrying, Simon appeared calm.

"Simon Halvaty? I'm Detective Percy."

Simon shook his hand. "What's this about, Detective?"

"I've been trying to reach you for a while now and you always seem to be busy. I've got some questions about Lisa and Stinger."

"I was pretty upset to hear that they were kidnapped like that." Simon said, avoiding eye contact.

"Right...the reports said that you were the one that checked the security cameras the night she was taken, right?"

"Yes...I didn't see anyone except for Stinger and Lisa."

"Ma'am, how are you paying for this?"

The cashier took Terri out of the conversation.

"Oh, right. Um, here." Terri handed her a credit card. It was registered under the id she had found earlier. She finally figured out how to use it and was now finally going to use it.

"Mr. Halavaty, I'm going to have to ask that we take a look at those tapes."

"I'm sorry sir, I can't do that."

"Simon, you can be arrested for..." Percy's phone started ringing. "What is it?"

"Do you want this in a large bag?" the cashier asked.

"No, just give it to me like that." Terri said as she grabbed the box with the crib.

"What do you mean there's been a recent transaction?" Percy questioned the other person on the phone. "Are you serious?"

Terri headed to the door, ready to go home.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to stop right there."

Terri turned to look at Percy. "What? I paid for this, didn't I?"

"Yes, but how?"

"With my card."

"Under who's name?"

Terri didn't answer for a beat. _Might as well tell the truth,_ she thought grimly. "Look, I don't even remember. I found the ID on the floor. In this store actually."

Percy turned to look at Simon, but he wasn't there anymore. Somewhere he had sneaked off and most likely left the store. He pulled out his phone and asked the person on the other line to conduct an in-depth search on Simon Halavaty. He looked back at Terri. "I'm going to have to ask you to come to the police station with me."

* * *

Carly and Sam were at the dining table, eating some fish, when Spencer and Freddie came in.

"Hello! We're back!" Spencer announced. He went into the kitchen and poured himself some tea.

Sam cast a glare at Freddie. "So that's why it started smelling."

Freddie shook his head as he went up to her and kissed her cheek lightly. "Missed you too, Sam."

"You two do anything interesting? Meet anyone note-worthy." Spencer asked.

"No, we just went to Groovy Smoothie." Carly answered.

Sam fingered the business card in her pocket. She wasn't going to mention anything about Cristy Byers. "What were you guys doing?"

"Uh...just helping Spencer with a sculpture." Freddie didn't look Sam in the eye.

Sam let out a loud sigh. She knew he was lying. She didn't need his lies, especially now.

"So Sam, you excited about bringing Grover home?" Carly asked.

Sam plastered a fake smile on her face. "Yeah, I just can't wait." Sam made sure to sound sincere, but in her heart, she was being sarcastic. She looked over at Freddie who was giving her a weird stare. He knew her too well.

Sam's phone started riging, saving her from having to talk about anything that made her feel uncomfortable. "Hello?"

"_Sam, this is Detective Percy."_

Sam swallowed hard. Without looking at her friends or giving them a hint as to who it was, she got up and went out to the hallway. "Did you find him?" she had lost all hope that he ever would be caught, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe if he was caught, she could really move on and possibly be able to look at Grover without thinking of him.

"_Not exactly, but we've come to a huge break in the case. But we're going to need you to come to the police station."_

"Why? Did something happen?"

"_We have your mother here."

* * *

_

Freddie looked at Sam in the rear-view mirror. Even in the darkness, he could see how mad she was. Spencer was driving Sam to the police station and Freddie tagged along. He figured he'd be needed since he was pretty good at being the peace maker between Sam and Terri.

Spencer pulled into the parking lot and before he could turn off the car, Sam was already storming her way inside the building. Freddie quickly followed her in.

"Where's Percy?" Sam demanded from the secretary.

The secretary looked up from her desk. "Do you have an appointment."

"Listen lady-!"

"He called her asking her to come down. I don't think they made an official 'appointment' though." Freddie said before Sam could go off.

"Oh, Samantha Puckett?"

Sam growled at the use of her first name. "Just tell me where he is."

"Down the hall, second door on your left."

Sam started walking, not waiting for Freddie. Freddie thanked the secretary and hurried after Sam. Before Sam could open the door, Freddie stopped her.

"Fredward, get out of my way."

"Not until you calm down."

"Calm down?" she yelled. "I am calm!"

"Right, that's why you're yelling." he said a bit sarcastically.

Sam closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She opened them to glare at Freddie. "There, I'm calm. Now can we go in?"

Freddie still felt a little unsure, but he opened the door for her and the two walked in. Detective Percy was sitting behind his desk and Terri was in one of the chairs.

Percy looked up when he saw them come in. "Glad you came." he said as he stood up.

"What did you do?" Sam asked in a low voice towards Terri. She had completely ignored Percy. "I'm moving back in tomorrow and you do something that gets you _arrested_?" she yelled.

Terri stood up. "I don't need you yelling at me right now!"

"Would both of you stop it!" Freddie yelled. "Detective Percy was going to say something."

Percy nodded in approval of Freddie. "Thank you. Sam, you're mom is in here for identity theft. Under normal circumstances, she would be prosecuted and sent to jail, but these aren't normal circumstances. She stole Desmond Halavaty's identity. We know where he is and we've got the police looking for him all over Seattle. Turns out he had been going by Simon Halavaty." Percy paused to let it all sink in. "Don't worry, Sam. We're going to get him this time. You won't have to worry about it anymore."

Freddie looked at Sam who had an unreadable expression on her face. He shook Percy's hand. "Thanks Detective. This really is good to hear."

"Sure thing. And Terri, remember the fine needs to be taken care of before the end of this month."

Terri waved her hand. "I know." she said as she walked out.

Freddie guided Sam out of the office as they headed back to Spencer's car. Spencer was leaning against the passenger side when they came out. "Hey, so how did everything go?" he asked as they piled into his car.

Terri and Sam said nothing. "Um...it was okay." Freddie answered awkwardly.

"All right then..." Spencer said as he tried to ignore the awkwardness in the air.

Sam reached over and grabbed Freddie's hand. She held it tightly, trying to find some comfort in the mess that had become her life.

* * *

Sam looked over at Freddie from the papers she held. He was holding Grover and was coddling him. Freddie looked so happy with Grover in his arms. Sam could feel her heart clenching. When Dr. Garza came and first put Grover in her arms, she wanted to drop him. It was a horrible thought, but she couldn't stand the fact that he looked like Desmond.

"I've really got to use the restroom. Can you hold him?" Freddie asked as he stood in front of Sam.

"I'm still signing papers. Why don't you just put him in the baby carrier?" Sam said shortly.

"You can't put the papers away for a moment?"

"Freddie, these have to get signed, or we can't take the kid out of this place."

Freddie shook his head and placed Grover in the baby carrier. He walked out of the room without another word.

Sam pursed her lips as she looked at Grover. He still looked so tiny and fragile. Dr. Garza said Grover's immune system was still very weak. He could get an infection if they weren't careful.

Sam set aside the papers she had been signing. She had finished signing them before Freddie left for the bathroom, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She pulled out her phone and the business card she had received yesterday. She dialed the number and waited for a few rings. "Yeah, I'm Sam Puckett. I was wondering if Cynthia Byers was in."

"I'm back." Freddie announced as he came in.

Sam quickly hung up her phone and accidentally dropped the business card. She reached down to grab it, but Freddie snatched it first.

"Who were you calling?" he asked. He still hadn't looked at the card yet.

"No one." Sam answered.

Freddie frowned as he looked down at the card. "Why were you calling CPS?"

Sam didn't answer. She just looked away. She knew he wasn't going to agree with her decision.

Freddie looked at Sam, then to Grover, and back at Sam. "Are you giving Grover up?" Freddie asked in a whisper.

Sam stood up. "I can do whatever I please, Benson." Sam answered harshly. "Even if that means giving the kid up."

"But you said you were keeping him!"

"I can't keep him!" Sam yelled. "I don't _want_ to keep him!"

"But I thought-"

"Stop it Freddie! Just stop thinking and assuming things! I'm tired of _everything_, Freddie! I'm tired of all the pity I've been getting from people, or the ugly stares because people think I'm just the _average_ teen mother, but most of all, I'm tired of remembering _him._ And guess what? No matter how hard I try, I can't see one speck of me in the kid. The only person I see is it's daddy! I don't want that reminder in my life. I didn't want any of this! I don't _deserve_ this! I know it's probably the most selfish thing I could ever do, but I'm doing it. So don't even try and convince me not to." her yelling had died down to a harsh whisper.

Freddie gave Sam a hard stare, but Sam could see the disappointment in his eyes. "I'll be outside." he said before turning around and walking out of the room.

Sam let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She sat down, feeling exhausted from all that yelling.

Grover let out a soft whimper. Sam looked over at him. None of this was his fault, but she couldn't take care of him. "You understand, right?"

Sam sighed as she stood up and walked to the window. It was starting to drizzle outside.

She heard the door open. Freddie must've come back to convince her to keep Grover. Maybe Sam wanted him to convince her to keep Grover.

She felt a hand on her waist and a cold metal against the side of her neck. She froze, knowing exactly who it was.

"Make any sound and I swear I'll shoot."_  
_


	18. Storage ShootOut

A/N: New chapter! Hope you guys like it! There were a few parts that I kind of had a hard time with, but I think I got it. I should be able to post something this weekend, but I don't know yet... Thanks everyone that reviewed! I love all of them :) But I won't keep you any longer, so start reading this chapter and then review!  


* * *

Storage Shoot-Out

Detective Percy leaned against the squad car as he and the police chief waited for any news from the officers that had gone in the apartment building. This was where Desmond Halavaty was supposed to be right now.

_"It's all clear. Not a sign of Desmond anywhere."_ a woman spoke over the radio.

Percy sighed heavily. This was the last place they assumed where Desmond was. "Start looking through the place. Look for anything that might tell us where he went." Percy said into the radio.

"So what now, Percy?" asked the police chief. His name was Jones.

"We keep looking. I'm going to give Sam a call, make sure she hasn't heard from him." Percy walked off a bit and dialed Sam's number. After a few rings, her answering machine picked up. Percy hung up and called the next person. Freddie Benson. He picked up after the second ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Freddie, this is Detective Percy. Is Sam with you?"

Percy heard Freddie let out frustrated sigh. "_Not exactly. I'm waiting for her outside the hospital. She's going to be coming out with Grover any minute now."_

"There hasn't been any sign of Desmond, correct?"

"_As far as I know, no."_

"All right. I was just calling to be sure. Keep a watch out. See anything suspicious, give me a call."

"_Yes sir."_

Percy hung up, no longer needing to talk to Freddie. He walked back to Jones. "Put as many officers as you can on patrol right now. This is getting ridiculous. We need to catch this man already."

* * *

Sam could feel her hands beginning to sweat as Grover started to make fussing noises. "What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from quaking.

"You know exactly why I'm here. I came to collect what's rightfully mine."

Sam swallowed the bile that came up in her throat. "He isn't yours."

"I knew it would be a boy."

Sam could hear the smirk in Desmond's voice. She wanted to attack him, but he had the gun against her skin. She was defenseless.

"You are going to walk out of the back exit of this hospital, calmly, with the child. You are going to go straight to my car and get in quietly. You are not going to yell or call attention to yourself. If you do, I will start shooting."

"But-"

Desmond pressed the gun harder against her skin. "Do not test me right now. Now grab the baby and let's go."

Sam bit her lip as she turned around and faced Desmond. Despite everything he had done to change his features, she knew it was really him. She wouldn't ever be able to forget him. She picked up the baby carrier and walked out of the room.

Desmond had put away his gun, but was still walking right behind Sam, ready to pull it out if she tried anything. They walked out of the back exit of the hospital with no incident. No one saw anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. "That's my car." Desmond whispered. "The one straight ahead."

Sam saw the car he was talking about. It was the only car in the back parking lot.

"Sam? Where are you going? Spencer's car is back here."

Sam stopped.

"Why are you stopping? Keep walking." Desmond ordered.

"Let me talk to him." Sam said through clenched teeth.

"Sam! Can you not hear me?"

"Take care of it. And remember, I'm the one with the gun." Desmond said as he kept walking, but showed Sam the gun.

Sam swallowed hard as she turned around. Freddie was jogging to met her. "Where were you going?" he asked with a frown.

"I'm leaving." Sam answered shortly. She set down the baby carrier, her arm was starting to ache.

"I can see that, but _where_?"

"Freddie, just please let me go." Sam said as she shut her eyes tightly.

"Sam, I know you're mad at me, but don't do this. We can talk things over and if you still feel the same way...you can call CPS in the morning."

Sam pursed her lips. "It's not that, it's..."

Freddie grabbed her arm. "Then what is it? Tell me, Sam. Tell me so I can fix it. You know I'd anything for you, right?"

Sam opened her eyes and forced down her tears. This was the only way she knew how to get rid of him. "It's over Freddie. You...me...we're done."

Freddie let go of her arm and took a step back. "What?" he whispered in shock.

"We're through!" Sam yelled. She sounded angry, but it was only because she was angry at Desmond for doing this to her. She was directing that anger towards Freddie. "It never would've worked out anyways! You are not for me and I am not for you, so just let this end! Don't make this drag out into something boring and lifeless because that's all it would ever become! This whole thing between us was a mistake."

Sam felt her heart crack when she saw the emotions on Freddie's face. She had broken his heart. It just made her feel even worse knowing this was probably going to be the last thing she would ever say to him. She grabbed the baby carrier and started walking away. She saw Desmond sitting in the car. He was watching her, waiting for her to get inside the car.

"Sam, wait!"

Sam cringed as she heard Freddie starting to run after her.

"Sam, don't do this!"

Sam saw Desmond sit up straight. He had pulled out the gun, his finger resting precariously on the trigger. She walked faster, hoping Freddie would stop running after her. He didn't need to get hurt anymore.

Freddie didn't stop though. Instead he had pushed himself faster and was now standing between Sam and the car that was now only a few yards away. He grabbed her tightly by her arms. "Don't do this. I know you didn't mean any of what you just said."

Sam wasn't paying attention to Freddie. She was staring at Desmond who had stepped out of the car and was standing behind Freddie. He cocked the gun and pointed it at them. "I suggest you let go of her."

Freddie slowly let go of her and turned to look at Desmond. "You."

"Move aside or I put another bullet in your stomach. I heard the doctors couldn't get it out. How does it feel to live with a bullet stuck in your side?" Desmond taunted.

"If you even think about touching her-"

Desmond scoffed. "I wouldn't want to touch her anymore. She's served her purpose. Besides, I'm the one with the gun. Is it really wise of you to be saying threats?"

"Freddie, just walk away and he'll leave you alone." Sam said.

"I'm not leaving you, Sam." Freddie said as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

That one moment he took to glance at Sam was all Desmond needed. He punched Freddie right in the jaw. He fell to the ground and his head hit the curb. Sam didn't see Freddie opening his eyes, or even moving for that matter.

"What did you do to him?" Sam yelled.

Grover started crying in the carrier. He had gone unnoticed by everyone up until that point.

Desmond looked at Grover then to Sam. "Get in the car now." he said through clenched teeth.

"No! I'm tired of-"

Desmond had already whipped out the gun and had it pointing at Freddie. "I swear I'll shoot him."

Sam knew from past experience he wasn't lying. She swallowed her tears, refusing to cry in front of this monster.

"Get the baby out of carrier and hold him. The carrier's only going to take up space and time." Desmond ordered, still pointing the gun at Freddie.

Sam set down the carrier and unbuckled Grover from it. A feeling of dread seeped into her body as she held Grover. His crying quieted down as soon as he felt Sam holding him.

"Please," she said in a soft voice. "Don't hurt him."

Desmond scoffed. He lifted his hand and slapped her. Sam closed her eyes, remembering she had a baby in her arms and a gun was pointed at Freddie. She would've reacted if those things weren't true.

"You're pathetic. Get in the car already, we've wasted too much time." Desmond said as he shoved her forward.

Sam stumbled and felt Grover starting to slip from her arms. She quickly caught him and couldn't help looking down at him. Maybe if she squinted her eyes, she could see something of her in him...

"Hurry up!" Desmond snapped from behind her.

Sam moved quickly and was sitting in the backseat. The door on her opposite side opened and Desmond threw Freddie's limp body beside her. He jumped in the drivers seat and pulled out of the parking lot.

Sam looked at Desmond. He was too busy focusing on the road. She leaned over, careful with Grover in her arms, and checked for a pulse on Freddie. She didn't have to look for long as Freddie started groaning softly. Sam glanced at Desmond. He wasn't paying attention to them.

Freddie opened his eyes and grabbed his head. It was throbbing like crazy. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sam covered it. She motioned for him to be quiet then pointed at Desmond.

Freddie understood. Desmond had become unpredictable. It'd be best not to upset him anymore.

* * *

Spencer rubbed his face as he switched the radio station in his car. He had been waiting for about an hour already for Freddie and Sam to come out. He didn't understand what was taking them so long. Yes, he knew Sam needed to sign a few papers, but she just had to scribble her name. What could possibly take them a whole hour?

His phone started ringing. "Hello?"

"_Spencer! Where are you?"_

Spencer winced as he held the phone away from his ear while Carly yelled. "You didn't have to yell at me."

"_Fine, but where are you? What's taking so long?"_

"I don't know. Freddie and Sam haven't come out yet. They might've started talking with Dr. Garza."

"_Have you gone in to check on them?"_

Spencer hadn't thought about doing that. He just wanted to stay in the coolness of his car. Even with the sun down, it was hot outside. "...no."

"_Then what are you waiting for? We're starting to get worried over here."_

"All right, fine! I'm going inside!"

"_Good. Call me back when you're on your way."_

"Yeah, no problem." Spencer grumbled as he hung up the phone and headed inside. He walked up to the front desk. "Do you know where Sam Puckett is? She was supposed to pick up Grover Puckett."

The nurse looked up from the computer. "She signed him out forty minutes ago." she answered. "I'm pretty sure she left already."

Spencer frowned. "Are you sure? 'Cause I'm her ride and I haven't seen her come out at all."

"Yes, I'm positive."

"Okay...thanks, anyways." Spencer said as he started walking away. He pulled out his phone and called Sam. It went straight to voicemail. He tried calling Freddie's phone. It went straight to voice-mail too. Something definitely wasn't right.

* * *

Percy was driving around town with the lights on his squad car flashing. He was driving slowly past every alley to see if anyone was possibly hiding behind a dumpster. Nothing. The search was starting to feel a little hopeless. They finally had a break in the case and now there was nothing.

Officers were still in Desmond's apartment, but they hadn't found anything. Percy knew because he hadn't received any calls. They had already been searching the place for at least thirty minutes. If there was anything incriminating, they would've found it already.

His phone started ringing and he picked it up. "Percy here. Did you find anything in his apartment?"

"_I'm actually not at his apartment, sir."_

Percy groaned and rolled his eyes. It was Aiden again. "Aiden, I don't have time for this. What do you want?"

"_Sir, I think I might've found something! We got an e-mail from Seattle Hospital with an attached video. There was a scuffle in the back parking lot and a man took two people with a baby."_

"That's not our problem right now, Aiden. We're on a man hunt. I'll send whatever officers I can as soon-"

"_I apologize for interrupting, but I was able to identify the people taken as Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson. I wasn't sure who the man was, but I'm sure you already know who it is."_

Percy swore. "Identify all units for me."

"_Yes sir."_

"Oh and Aiden, I'll talk to the police chief about giving you a permanent job." Percy hung up the phone before Aiden could go into a thanking spree. He turned on his sirens and sped to the hospital. Not a minute after he hung up with Aiden and his phone rang. He answered it, running a red light. "Percy, what is it?" he snapped.

"_We found something. A payment he made in cash for a storage room by the docks."

* * *

_

Grover whimpered softly in his sleep and moved around a little in Sam's arms.

"I swear, if I hear one more noise from the baby, I am going to shoot someone right now!" Desmond snapped.

Sam started rocking Grover gently, not knowing what to do. She couldn't stop him from making any noises in his sleep.

Desmond was scaring her, more than usual. She never remembered him acting like this. He had always been so calm. Something had changed. Something inside of him must've finally snapped. Maybe it was because he knew the police were finally catching up to him. Sam could only hope the police found him before he could kill them.

"Do you need me to hold him?" Freddie asked in a hoarse whisper. He had managed to sit up, but had a huge bump on the side of his head that came with a horrible headache. He probably had a concussion.

Sam shook her head and held Grover just a little tighter. She didn't feel like letting anyone holding him right now.

Desmond pulled up to an iron gate, typed in a code on the box, and drove in through the gates that were opening. They were in a storage area. Sam tried to see where they had been going, but with the lighting outside, she completely lost track. She had no idea where they were. Freddie didn't know either. He was having a hard time staying conscious actually.

Desmond stopped at a storage room in the far corner. He stepped out and opened Sam's door. "Get out." he said, waving the gun. Sam slowly stepped out, being extra careful not to wake up Grover.

Freddie struggled to get out and once he was out, he swayed a little. Sam tried to catch him, but she had Grover in her arms. Instead, Freddie leaned on the car for support.

"Start walking." Desmond said, shoving the gun in Freddie's back.

Freddie and Sam silently started moving forward, towards the storage room. Desmond stepped in front of the to unlock the door still keeping his gun trained on them. As soon as the door was opened, he pushed them inside and turned on a bright light.

Sam looked around, still wincing from the brightness. There was crib in the far corner with a pile of diapers and formula, a small board on the floor she assumed was a changing table, and a rocking chair. On the other side of the room was a bed with a nightstand and a Polaroid camera. On the bed was a brunette lady and a small boy asleep in her lap. Sam recognized the boy as Micah Sting. _Her Stinger._

"Give her the child." Desmond said to Sam.

"What?" Sam held Grover closer.

"I said to give Lisa the child." Desmond said, walking closer to Sam.

"Leave her alone." Freddie protested, stepping between them.

Desmond pushed him out of the way and Freddie hit the wall and slid to the floor.

"Don't push him like that!" Sam yelled. She was about to make sure Freddie was all right, but Desmond grabbed her.

"I told you to do something, you had better do it right now."

Sam gave Desmond a hard stare before walking past him and towards Lisa. Lisa was staring at Sam with wide eyes. Sam could see how scared she was. Sam hesitated with giving Grover to Lisa. As she held him, Sam couldn't believe she wanted to give him up for adoption. She didn't know what she wanted anymore.

"Give him to Lisa and Lisa give her Stinger."

Lisa let out a shaky breath. "I think you should listen to him." she whispered.

Sam still held on to Grover.

"I'll shoot him if you don't do as I say."

Sam turned around and saw Desmond holding Freddie up with gun pressed against his forehead.

"Don't do it, Sam." Freddie mouthed.

Sam pursed bit her lip. She couldn't believe this. She had been willing to give Grover up a few hours ago, but now she couldn't let go of him? She glanced over at the area she knew was specified for Grover. _The board_. It was lose and it could easily be picked up. She looked back at Desmond before he could see what she was looking at. "Fine," she started. "I'll give her the baby, just let Freddie go." she turned around and put Grover in Lisa's arms. Sam suddenly felt so empty. Grover had stirred and was now beginning to get fussy as soon as he was in Lisa's arms.

"Lisa, give her Stinger." Desmond still hadn't put away the gun.

Lisa shook Stinger with her free arm. "Stinger, wake up for me."

Sam took a few steps back as she watched Stinger wake up. He was looking at Lisa. "Momma here?" he asked.

"Uh...no, but I need you to go over there with Sam." Lisa said as she pointed to her.

Stinger looked at Sam and frowned. "But I want momma!"

There was a loud gun shot. Grover started crying. Sam felt her heart drop as she spun around. Desmond had the gun pointed upwards and Freddie had his eyes closed tightly. Desmond had shot the ceiling. "Stinger, go with her _now_!"

Sam grabbed Stinger, not wanting Desmond to do anything crazier. "All right! You have what you want, so let us go. _All_ of us." she knew it wouldn't happen, but she could at least give it a try.

Desmond smirked. He shoved Freddie, making him fall to the ground. "You know I can't do that." he said while walking towards her. He pointed his gun at her. "You've served your purpose."

Sam had to think quickly. "Wait! Wait, I need to say something!" she said as she held up her hands.

"Then say it."

"I need to say it to Freddie."

Desmond raised an eyebrow. "Hurry up and say your good-bye then."

Sam grabbed Stinger's hand and started walking towards Freddie. Her steps faltered when she heard sirens in the background. She could only hope they were coming for them. She knelt down in front of Freddie and pulled him into a hug.

"Sam, I-"

"Shut up and listen." Sam whispered before Freddie could say anything else. "There's a board on the ground in the baby area. Grab it and knock Desmond out."

"But-"

Sam pulled away, much too soon for Freddie. She swallowed hard as a tear finally broke free. "Good-bye Freddie." she said before getting up and walking back to her previous position.  
Sam stood in front of Stinger with her eyes closed. She knew what was most likely going to happen in the next few seconds. She was going to die.

* * *

Percy slammed on his brakes, making the tires screech, in front of the warehouse. Several other squad cars followed suit. He looked around at everyone. They were standing against their squad cars, guns pulled and ready to fire. They were finally going to get Desmond. Percy just hoped they made it in time before any irreversible damage was done.

An officer tossed Percy a bull horn. He put it to his mouth and spoke. "Desmond Halavaty, we have you surrounded." at that moment, a helicopter flew overhead with a spotlight shining down on the scene. "Come out with your hands up."

* * *

Everyone in the warehouse turned to look at the entrance as they heard the demand. Sam opened her eyes. The police were here. Maybe she really was going to get out of this.

Unfortunately, this meant Desmond could clearly see Freddie, who was holding the board and was coming straight towards him.

Desmond moved just in time as Freddie swung the board. He punched Freddie in the jaw and he fell to the ground. But he recovered quickly because of a sudden adrenaline rush. He stood up and charged towards Desmond, tackling him to the ground. Freddie was able to get in one good punch before Desmond threw Freddie off of him and ran to Sam, pushing Stinger to the floor in the process. Stinger, along with Grover, were now crying loudly.

He pulled her head back and put the gun up against her forehead. "Don't move."

Freddie stood and wiped the blood from his lip. "Why are you doing this?"

Desmond didn't answer.

"Why are you doing this to her? Why did you do this to all the other girls before her? Stinger's mom, why'd you do that to her? Why are you about to do it all over again to Lisa?"

He was doing this for Mary Jo. But Desmond didn't need to tell him that.

"_This is your last warning! Come out of the warehouse with your hands in the air!"_

Desmond's hand began shaking. He never had this much trouble with any of the others. Maybe Sam was _too_ perfect. She had been so wonderful but she had also brought him a lot of trouble. Either way, he couldn't let her live. He couldn't let any of them live. He'd have to start all over again.

Freddie looked at Sam who was staring back at him. Tears were now coming down at a steady flow. He could already see in her eyes that she had given up.

The door flew open. "Freeze! Desmond Halavaty, drop your weapon!" it was Percy.

"Stand back or I swear I'll shoot!" Desmond threatened.

"Just put down the gun!"

"No!"

A gunshot could be heard and the sound of Grover and Stinger's cries intensified. 


	19. Moving On, Pressing Forward

A/N: It's finally here! New chapter! Hope you guys like this and sorry it kind of took a while :/ But I've got some news! This chapter is the second to last chapter...so the next chapter is going to be the last one. But I'm going to be doing a few one-shots of scenes I took out because it was getting to long. I don't know how many it's going to be, but keep an eye out for them! Thank you everyone for reviewing and hope you keep reviewing for this chapter and the rest of the story! Enjoy :)

* * *

Moving On, Pressing Forward

Freddie knew what he saw. Or at least he thought he did. He could've sworn Desmond really pulled the trigger. The gun had been pressed to Sam's head. There was no way she could've survived. Sam's eyes stayed wide open, still staring at Freddie. She didn't move. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. As he watched her, expecting her to collapse, he noticed Desmond's arm falling away from Sam. There was blood coming from Desmond's left shoulder.

Police began moving and Sam turned around to see Desmond fall to the ground with his eyes shut. She took a few steps back as a few paramedics began examining Desmond.

Freddie didn't wait any longer. He broke out into a run, despite his throbbing head and everything else that hurt. He pulled Sam into a tight hug. She held Freddie's arm, still looking at the fallen man before her.

"It's over, Sam. It's really over." Freddie whispered for only her to hear.

Once Freddie said those words, Sam finally allowed herself to release everything. She leaned her head on his chest and cried.

"Sam? I believe he belongs to you."

Sam looked up and saw Percy standing in front of them. He was holding Grover who was still crying. She wiped her tears and sheepishly grabbed him. She started rocking him a little and his crying stopped almost immediately. Sam sniffled and a small smile could be seen on her face.

"You're lucky to be alive right now." Percy told her.

"Did he really pull the trigger?" Freddie asked.

"He did. The only reason why Sam doesn't have a bullet in her head is because Desmond's gun didn't have anymore bullets. If it did...well, you get the picture." Percy looked around the warehouse. The officers were starting to gather everything and they had already sent Desmond away in an ambulance. "Freddie, you should get checked out by the paramedics. Make sure you don't have a concussion." he started guiding them out the doors and towards an ambulance.

Freddie placed a hand on Sam's back while she held Grover. Sam paused after she heard a small child giggling. Near some police cars, she could see a man and a woman that had wide smiles on their faces as well as tears. The woman was holding Stinger in her arms. That was the family that was taking care of him. It was his family now.

"Sam, you all right?" Freddie asked.

Sam, snapped out of her daze, realizing she had paused for a moment too long. "Yeah, I'm just fine."

They came up to the ambulance and the paramedics started looking Freddie over. Percy had turned around to talk to a couple of the officers.

"Sam! Freddie!"

Sam and Freddie both looked up to see Carly running towards them with Melanie and Spencer following close behind. They had been let past the police lines.

"Oh thank God you're all right!" Carly exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around them both.

"Freddie, what happened to you?" Melanie asked with worry.

"It's nothing. Don't worry." he said as he tried to brush it off.

"I can't see any signs of a concussion. You should be good to go." the paramedic said to Freddie, reaffirming what Freddie had just said.

"Is Grover all right?" Carly asked.

"You want me to check him over?" the paramedic asked.

Sam shook her head. "No, he's fine." she looked down at him and saw he was asleep. Despite all the noise and chaos, he had fallen asleep.

"So then I guess it's time to take you guys home." Spencer said as he swung the keys around on the end of his finger.

"Wait, before you leave," Percy said as he turned his attention towards them. "We've got Desmond in custody now. You don't have to worry anymore."

"He isn't dead?" Sam asked, her voice shaking a little.

Percy shook his head. "I shot him right above his heart. He isn't going to have any serious damage in the long-run." he noticed the dismayed look on Sam's face. "But trust me when I say this; Desmond isn't going to get anything less than a life sentence in prison. I'm pretty sure you're going to have to show up in court to testify against him though. Someone will let you know when that'll be."

"Thanks Percy." Sam said softly.

Percy nodded his head and shook their hands. The search was finally over. This was probably going to be his last time ever seeing them.

The group turned and started towards Spencer's car as soon as Percy left. Sam was ready to leave and finally get some peaceful rest knowing that Desmond was caught.

"Samantha, could I have a moment with you?"

Sam turned around and saw the same woman that was with Stinger. She looked past her and a little far off, she could still see the man with Stinger. "You guys go ahead. I'll be right there." Sam said.

"You sure?" Freddie asked.

Sam nodded her head and placed Grover in Freddie's arms. Grover stirred a little, but stayed asleep. She turned back to the woman as her friends walked away.

"He looks just like you. Your son, I mean." she said.

Sam smiled. "He kind of does, doesn't he." she said a bit thoughtfully.

The woman smiled back and held out her hand for handshake. "I'm Carol Wagner. I'm-"

"Stinger's adoptive mother." Sam finished for her. "I kind of figured that from the way you were hugging him earlier."

Carol gave Sam a sad smile. "I'm so sorry for everything that's happened."

Sam shrugged her shoulders and looked down. She didn't want to be reminded.

"I can't imagine having to take care of him and then have to give him up."

Sam held back a growl. Where was this lady going with all this?

"You did an amazing job."

Sam looked up and saw the sincerity in Carol's eyes.

"Sometimes he'll come up to me and ask 'where's Sam?'" Carol said with a small smile. "I don't know if he really remembers you, but I know that he remembers what you did for him.  
Somewhere in that little mind of his, he's got memories of you. I know you probably don't want to think about what's happened, but I just thought you would feel a little better knowing that."

Sam gave Carol a sincere smile. "It does."

"Do you want to see him?"

Sam quickly shook her head. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

Carol nodded in understanding. "I better get going. It was nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too." Sam said before she walked to Spencer's car. Freddie, with Grover in his arms, was standing outside the car, waiting for her.

"Everything all right?" he asked.

Sam looked at him for a bit. "I think it fianlly is."

* * *

"Sam, keep your eyes closed!" Melanie exclaimed.

"Mel, can't I just open them? I'd rather go to my room right now. I'm tired and I've had a super long day." Sam said as she was lead into a room by Carly and Melanie. Spencer was right behind her, making sure she didn't somehow fall backwards. Freddie walked a little further behind, still holding Grover.

"Just wait a little bit longer. We want this to be special for you, especially after everything that's happened." Carly said.

"Okay, open them!" Melanie called out.

Sam opened her eyes and her mouth opened in shock. They were in the extra room at the Puckett house. It had been painted a light green with paintings of small monkeys and bananas scattered around the walls. There was a crib and a changing table in one half of the room and the other half had a dresser and an odd sculpture. Sam tilted her head a little and saw what the sculpture really was. It was a huge baby bottle made out of pacifiers. So this was why Freddie had seemed to be avoiding her. "You guys...I asked you not to do anything like this." she said.

"But we wanted to! Don't you like it?" Spencer asked with a wide smile. "What do you think of my sculpture?"

"It's great, but..."

"We can take it down for you." Freddie said.

Sam looked at him and could see he was bothered by something. She knew exactly what it was.

"But you guys worked so hard on it! Don't take it down!" Carly protested.

"Yeah! Sam, they already did it, so just leave it alone. Let Grover have an awesome nursery." Melanie threw in.

"It's Sam's choice. She can have us take it down if she wants to." Freddie said soberly. "For right now, we'll leave it alone." he put Grover in the crib and turned on the little mobile above it. A classical song started playing. "I think we should leave. Let Sam get some sleep."

"Freddie's right. We should get going. See you tomorrow?" Carly asked.

"Right. Bye Carly. Bye Spencer."

"See you, kiddo." Spencer said as he gave Sam a side-hug and started walking out the front door with Carly.

"See you in the morning, Sam." Melanie gave Sam a hug and went to her own room.

Sam looked over at Freddie. He still hadn't left. It looked like he was going to say something, but he kept his mouth shut. "I'll see you whenever I do." he finally said and started towards the door.

Sam took a few steps towards him. "Wait," he turned around, waiting for her to continue. "Can we talk?"

"Not right now. You need to get some rest." Freddie kept his distance. He felt that Sam needed some space right now, especially after everything that had just happened.

"Can you come by in the morning? Eight?"

Freddie silently wondered if she would be awake at that time. "Yeah, I'll be here." he turned around and walked out of the house.

Sam grabbed the baby monitor and went into her room, shutting the door behind her. She lay on her bed for the first time in a long time. She didn't know where her mom was but she didn't care at the moment. What she cared about was the fact that Freddie hadn't given her a hug before he left. She knew it was childish, but she needed one and he hadn't given her one. Now that she was back in her own house, she couldn't get up and walk down the hall for a hug. Things were going to change.

Grover's crying came through the speaker on the baby monitor. Sam shut her eyes. Tonight was going to be a long night.

* * *

Freddie knocked on the door to Sam's house. It was eight and he was here, just like he told her.

"What are you doing here so early?"

Freddie turned around and saw Terri walking up the steps to the porch. "I'm here to see Sam. She asked me to be here at eight. Um...what are you doing?"

"Just got off the night shift at work." she answered as she pulled out her keys and opened the door. "So Sam's here with the baby?"

Freddie assumed no one had called Terri to tell her what happened last night. He still couldn't believe it had been last night. It seemed so surreal. "Yeah. Can I go see her?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it." Terri said.

Freddie walked down the hallway. He was about to go into Sam's room, but he heard muffled cries from Grover. He walked a little bit further until he reached the nursery. He opened the door and saw Sam pacing the floor with Grover resting on her shoulder. She was patting his back and trying to get him to quiet down. "You need some help?" he asked.

Sam turned around when she heard him. "He isn't going to sleep and I don't know what to do! He was fine last night when I would rock him, but rocking him is just making his crying worse!" she exclaimed. "This never happened with Stinger."

Freddie saw her blood shot eyes. He wondered how much sleep she got last night. "Let me see him."

Sam handed Grover off to him and Freddie gently rubbed Grover's back. It took a few moments, but Grover stopped crying and pretty soon he was asleep. Freddie carefully put Grover in the crib and looked at Sam. "I learned it from my mom." he answered when he saw her questioning look. "Some babies like to have their backs rubbed instead of patted."

Sam shook her head as she slumped down on the floor, leaning against the wall. "He kept me up all night. I probably got three hours of sleep." she said.

Freddie sat next to her. "Then go to your room and get some sleep. I'll take care of Grover."

"No. I need to talk to you first."

"If this is about what you said-"

"Freddie, let me talk." Sam took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry for saying all those things to you. I only did it to get rid of you so you wouldn't be hurt by Desmond again."

Freddie took a deep breath. "So everything you said wasn't something you'd been bottling up?"

Sam shook her head.

"What about everything you said while we were in the hospital. About Grover?"

Sam sighed as she leaned her head against the wall. "I don't know if I can keep him. Maybe it would be better if I gave him to CPS."

"Maybe it will, but maybe it won't."

Sam's phone started ringing. She let out a groan as she lifted herself up and grabbed it from the changing table. "What?"

"_Sam, this is Dr. Garza."_

Sam straightened. "Oh, hi. I'm assuming you've got news?"

"_I'm afraid so. About a week ago, one of the nurses noticed some...strange behavior in Grover. We took a few tests and the results just came in this morning."_

"What is it?" Sam asked as she felt her heart beginning to drop.

"_Remember Grover had a IVH? Turns out there has been some damage. It's affected his brain and he has cerebral palsy. There isn't much we can do for him immediately, but bring him in a few months and I'll be able to prescribe you some medicine for him. As for right now, the best thing you can do is find out everything you can on cerebral palsy and bring him in if you notice anything strange."_

Sam closed her eyes. She couldn't believe Grover had this. "Okay."

"_And Sam...I heard about what happened last night-"_

"It's over and I'd prefer not to talk about it."

"_Understood. Good bye then."_

Sam hung up then turned back to Freddie.

Freddie noticed the upset look on her face. "Who was it? Was it CPS?"

"No. That was Dr. Garza." Sam sat back down on the floor next to Freddie. "Grover's got cerebral palsy...I don't know what I'm going to do anymore. If I keep him, I don't know if I'm going to be able to take care of him right. It'd be so much easier to hand him off to CPS. There'd be a nice family that would adopt him, right?"

Freddie didn't say anything. Instead, he grabbed Sam's hand and started to finger it gently.

Sam pulled her hand back in frustration. "Aren't you going to tell me something? Give me some kind of advice?"

"You said it was your decision, remember?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "But I'd like some help."

"You want Grover to be put in a good home right?"

Sam nodded her head.

"Then call CPS and find out the chances of that happening for Grover."

"Are you saying someone isn't going to want to adopt him?"

"Sam, he's got a disability." Freddie said bluntly. "And before you snap at me, just call CPS and talk to them."

"Fine." she grumbled. She grabbed her phone and scrolled down the call log. She found the number she was looking for and re-dialed it. "Yeah, I'm looking for Cynthia Byers. It's Sam."

"_One moment."_

Sam was put on hold for a few moments

"_Hello Sam. This is Cynthia. Did you make a decision?"_

Sam sat up and leaned forward. "Well...I thought I had made a decision, but now I'm not too sure...how high are the chances he'll be adopted right away?"

"_Very high, considering most couples would rather adopt a baby boy. I don't think-"_

"What if he has cerebral palsy?"

Cynthia didn't answer right away. "_Has this been confirmed by your doctor?"_

"Yup."

"_I'll be honest with you, it will be more difficult. Couples want a healthy child, it's rare someone will come wanting a child with some kind of disability. Taking everything into consideration, he'll end up in an orphanage or the foster care system."_

Sam sighed. This was just making her decision harder."I'll give you a call back. I've got to think this over." Sam said, hanging up on Cynthia.

"What did they say?" Freddie asked.

Sam summarized the entire conversation to him. She kept her eyes on the floor, mulling over all the thoughts in her head.

Freddie pursed his lips in quiet thought. "You know Grover already has a good family. He's got you, me, Spencer and Carly, Melanie, he's even got your mom and my mom."

"You'd help me? I mean like really _really_ help me? As in possibly giving up a Saturday nights to come over and help me?"

Freddie smiled, his lip hurting a little, but he ignored it. "Don't you know me by now? I'd do anything for you, Sam."

Sam smiled a little as she leaned on Freddie's shoulder again. "I know that. I just...needed to be sure."

"So have you come to a decision?"

Sam looked at the crib where Grover was still sleeping. "Yeah, I think I have."

Freddie smiled, feeling as if he already knew what she decided. He was quiet for a few moments before speaking again. "He's going to be a great kid that'll look just like his mom."

Sam didn't say anything back. Freddie moved his head to look at Sam, but she had her eyes closed and was already in a deep sleep.

* * *

Her decision was final. She was keeping Grover. She knew she was going to have everyone helping her along the way, so it made her feel better. It also helped that she stopped seeing him as a Desmond clone. Instead, he was a pure Puckett in her eyes. The only thing that still represented Desmond was his green eyes, but Sam managed to look over that fact.

It had been about a week since the warehouse incident when Sam was told she needed to appear in court. Spencer was taking her while Carly and Freddie stayed at the Shay apartment watching over Grover. They had been gone for a few hours.

"Do you think they're okay?" Carly asked as she leaned against the bar.

"I'm sure they're fine. They probably had to fill out some paperwork or something." Freddie answered. He adjusted Grover in his arms and gave him a bottle of milk.

A few moments after Carly asked her question, the door swung open and Sam stormed in with Spencer sheepishly following behind her.

"What happened?" Freddie asked with slight worry.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sam muttered as she sat next to Freddie and turned on the TV.

Spencer grimaced and shook his head, letting Carly and Freddie know it didn't go well.

"You want to feed Grover?"

Sam looked over at Grover, a small smile appearing on her face. "Come here, guy." she said softly as she took Grover out of Freddie's arms and continued feeding him. She left the TV on a news station. The news anchors were talking about some school making the world's largest hamburger.

_"I'm sorry, Dave, but I've got to interrupt."_ said one of the anchors as she listened while someone talked into a radio she had in her ear. _"Breaking news coming from the downtown Seattle courthouse. We're switching over to Blair Thackery who is live."_

_"This is Blair Thackery, reporting live from Seattle courthouse."_ behind Blair, there was a huge commotion going on, people pushing and the police trying to get someone out of the crowd. _"As the police were escorting Desmond Halavaty, a serial killer that has just been condemned to fifty years in prison, to a maximum security prison, gun shots rang out. The police are still not sure where the gun shots came from, but it has just been confirmed that Desmond Halavaty has been shot."_

The room was silent. The only noise was from Grover who was loudly sucking on his bottle.

_"Now Desmond had been shot about a week ago during the police raid at a warehouse. Sources are unconfirmed as to whether..."_ Blair stopped in the middle of her sentence to listen to something that was being spoken over the radio. _"This just in, police have caught the man who shot Desmond Halavaty."_

The screen switched over to a different shot. The police were leading a man into a police car. The man had a grin on his face as he turned to look at the camera. Sam let out a shocked gasp as she recognized the man.

_"Carmichael Puckett! Why'd you do it? Why'd you shoot Desmond Halavaty?"_ a reporter yelled from the gather crowd.

Carmichael Puckett continued grinning. _"No one messes with anyone in my family and _just_ gets fifty years. Judging by the shot, he'll never walk again. Getting what he really deserves if you ask me."_ he said as he was put into a police car.

The screen returned to Blair. _"Well there you have it. Carmichael Puckett will be sen-"_

Sam grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. Freddie looked over at her. All he could see was shock. "Sam...?"

Sam slowly looked over at Freddie and gave him a small smile. Freddie saw it as a bitter-sweet smile, though. "Guess not everyone in my family is all that bad."


	20. It's A Small World After All

A/N: Well...here it is...the last chapter. Kind of bitter sweet for me. I loved writing this and I'm kind of sad it's ending, but that's what happens to all stories :/ I've written several different endings, but I liked this one the best. I'm not planning to do any kind of sequels, but their will be a few one-shots accompanying the story so be sure to check them out whenever I post them! Thank you everyone who's read this, put it their favorites, and reviewed, you guys made me want to finish this story even when I had no idea where it was going. So one last time (at least for _this_ story) leave a great review and I hope you liked this chapter.

* * *

It's A Small World After All

Summer vacation was over and school was about to start. Terri was going to watch Grover while Sam went to school and when Sam came home, Terri would go to work and Sam would have Grover the rest of the day. Sam had found a job were she only had to work Saturday and Sunday evenings. Freddie would take care of Grover during that time.

Melanie had gone off for boarding school again, leaving just Sam and Terri in one house. Their relationship was getting better, but it'd never be a normal mother-daughter relationship.

As for Sam and Freddie, things were going fine. Sam would still snap at him and there would be the occasional argument, but every couple dealt with that. The only problem was they had yet to formally go on a date. With school about to start, doctor visits for Grover, Sam's new weekend job, and iCarly broadcasts to top it all off, there just wasn't any time.

It was Sunday night, right before the first day of school. Sam was coming back from her job, but had to stop by the pharmacy for Grover's medicine. She was tired and hoped Grover was asleep. She left him in Carly's care and sometimes when Carly would take care of him, Grover would become difficult to put to sleep. All she wanted to do was change, take a nice shower, and sleep.

"Carls, I'm back!" Sam called out as she set the medicine in the kitchen. "Is Grover awake still?"

Carly came out of the nursery with Grover in her arms. "Yeah... I've been trying to get him to sleep though! Honest."

Sam reached out for Grover and brushed back his sprouting blonde hair. "Come on Grover, go to sleep for Mama." Sam said as she started patting his back gently.

Grover made gurgling noises and grabbed some of Sam's hair.

Sam groaned inwardly. She was going to have a hard time putting him to sleep. "Thanks Carly for watching him. I'll see you tomorrow at school."

Carly grinned. "Actually, I'm not done watching him." she said as she took Grover out of Sam's arms. "There's something for you in the backyard."

Sam frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Just go in the backyard and look."

"But what about-"

"I've got Grover! I'll put him to bed in no time and I'll still be here until you're done." Carly said, the grin still on her face. "Just go in the backyard."

Sam eyed Carly warily, but headed towards the back door and walked outside to the backyard. Her breath caught in her throat at what she saw.

There was a table in the middle with two chairs, a full meal at each seat and a small candle and a rose in the center of the table. Hanging from branches were little lanterns that lit up the backyard. Soft jazz music was playing in the background.

"Do you like it?"

Sam turned around and saw Freddie. He was dressed in a nice shirt with jeans. "You did this?"

"Yeah, but do you like it?"

"Freddie, it's amazing, but why did you do it?"

Freddie walked up to her and grabbed her hand. "Because I think it's about time we went out on a date."

"Freddie, I'm-"

"Sam, I know you're tied and all you want to do is go to sleep, but I also know you want to be out here. I made you some ribs." Freddie bribed.

"I guess I can stay for a bit." Sam said as she let herself be led to the table by Freddie.

Freddie pulled out her chair and she sat down. The plate of ribs, corn, and mashed potatoes smelled delicious. She grabbed her fork and began digging in. As she did, she continued looking around. She laughed quietly to herself.

"Why do you laugh?" Freddie asked with amusement in his voice.

"I just think it's funny at how much of a romantic nub you are."

"Please. You know you like it."

Sam smiled. "I guess I could put up with it. Might even get used to it."

Freddie stood up and grabbed Sam's hand. "Care to dance?"

"Uh, no. I haven't even finished eating."

"The food can wait. Just get up and let's dance for a little."

Sam sighed, but continued smiling. Freddie walked a little closer to the stereo so the music could be heard. He pulled Sam into his arms. She rested a hand on his shoulder and the other on his waist. He let both hands rest on her waist. They danced slowly to the soft song. Sam eventually closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. With everything that happened to her, she never thought she'd be as happy as she was in this moment. She wondered if it was possible to be even more happy.

"Sam...I love you."

Sam opened her eyes and looked at Freddie. She didn't see a trace of lying in his eyes. "I love you too." she smiled. It was possible to be even more happy.

* * *

Ten Years Later...

"Grover, please be careful!" Sam called out as she sat down on the park bench.

"I will!" Grover yelled back as he slowly climbed up the steps to the slide. It was hard to do so with leg braces, but he always managed to get where he wanted. His condition never stopped him from doing what he wanted to do. Except for running, of course.

"Don't worry about him, Sam. He'll be perfectly fine." Freddie said as he took a seat next to her. He grabbed her hand and started fingering the wedding ring he had given her exactly five years ago the day they were married.

"Look mama! I'm on the swings!" Isobel cried out. Isobel Mary Benson was their other child. Three-years-old and she was just as big as a handful as Sam had been at that age.

"I see you honey!" Sam called out to let her daughter know she was paying attention. Sam leaned into Freddie and rested her head on his shoulder. "So, Benson, was this all you planned for today?" Sam asked.

"Definitely not. After this, we are going to drop off the kids at my mom's then we're going out on a romantic dinner."

Sam laughed. "Well when can I give you my anniversary gift?"

"You bought me something?" Freddie said with a hint of surprise.

"I sure did and I think you'll enjoy it...but the kids have to spend the night with you're mom."

"Why?...Oh...now I understand." Freddie said with a huge grin.

They continued watching the kids in silence, laughing whenever they would see them do something funny. Sam smiled as she saw Grover and Isobel beginning to play with another little boy.

"Freddie?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of having another kid?"

Freddie pursed his lips in quiet thought. "Well...I'd love to have another one, but of course not unless you're ready to have one."

Sam looked up at him. "I think I am."

Freddie's eyebrows went up. "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Like right now?"

"Yes, Benson. Right now." Sam said with annoyance.

Freddie jumped up from the bench. "Kids! Let's go!"

* * *

"Look Grover! I found it!" Isobel proudly exclaimed as she held up a rock.

"Wow, Isobel. Ca' I see?" Grover asked as he held out his hand.

"Nope." Isobel said with a grin as she hid it behind her back.

"But Isobel-"

"Come catch me!" Isobel giggled as she started running.

Grover frowned. He couldn't run as fast as Isobel. He looked down at his legs. Why couldn't he have normal legs?

"Hi."

Grover looked up and saw a boy about his age standing right in front of him. "Hi." Grover said back.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"Grover."

The boy smiled. "Cool! I like that name." the boy looked over his shoulder at Isobel who was still running. "Is she your sister?"

Grover nodded his head. "She ha' a rock I wan' see."

"Why don't you catch her?"

Grover looked down. "Cause I ca't run fast."

The boy saw Grover's legs in the leg braces. "I'll get her!" he cried out as he turned to chase after Isobel.

Grover grinned as he started walking after them. By the time he caught up, the boy had the stone and Isobel was trying to get it back.

"Here you go Grover." the boy said as he handed him the stone.

"Thak you!"

The boy laughed. "You talk funny."

Isobel punched the boy. "Hey! Leave my big brother alone!"

"Ow!" he cried as he rubbed his arm.

"It's okay, Isobel. You on't have hit him." Grover said. He looked back at the boy. "What's your name?"

"Kids! Let's go!"

Grover grabbed Isobel's wrist when he heard their dad calling for them. He started walking backwards, still waiting for the boy's name.

The boy grinned proudly and put his hands on his hips, standing much like a super hero would. "Micah Sting, but everyone calls me Stinger."

Fin


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